Unknown Skies: book 3 Night Divides the Sky
by Stormikat
Summary: StarClan decides they've interfered enough and close off communication. Two days remain until the Gathering and the destruction of the Clans. But two ShadowClan kits go missing and Fawnfur is rejected by her Clan. Complete.  End of Trilogy.
1. Allegiance

Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter

Summery: Fawnfur finally finds her ultimate enemy as the Clans turn against each other, each fearful, each being spoken to by the Dark Forest Clan. Many cats are haunted by their dreams, uncertain what is truth or lies as old foes come back. Lakefrost and company are the only hope for the Clans but even they aren't sure how they are supposed to succeed. They only know they have to close the connection between the Dark Forest and the lake. Sunstorm, lost from StarClan and almost alone in the skies has wandered for a short time now and finally finds the secret only given to dead leaders and medicine cats. She winds up in the Dark Forest where she meets some unexpected foes and is closer to the solution than any other cat. Rated T for being a bit more violent than my other stories and for kit endangerment.

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**Allegiances**

**_ShadowClan_**

**Leader** Fallingstar- light brown tabby she-cat with gray markings on her chest, belly and legs

**Deputy** Tigerheart*- dark brown tabby tom

**Medicine Cat** Flametail*- ginger tom

**Warriors**

Snowbird- pure white she-cat with blue eyes

Ivytail- black, white, and tortoiseshell she-cat

Scorchtree^- dark gray tom

Redsky^- mottled brown and ginger tom

Dawncloud^- cream-furred she-cat  
_apprentice_: Wrenpaw

Olivespot^- tortoiseshell she-cat with a scarred tail

Stoneheart- gray tabby tom

Brownfeather- dark tabby tom  
_apprentice:_ Ashpaw

Acornpelt- tortoiseshell-like tom with dark tabby head

Dappleflower- mottled brown she-cat with cream colored spots  
_apprentice: Bluepaw_

Orangestripe- ginger tom with orange stripes and white patches, one of Smoky's and Floss's kits

Knotfur- she-cat with long, tangled, black fur, one of Smoky's and Floss's kits

Lakefrost- light gray tom with white spots on face and blue eyes

Mallowstalk- ginger she-cat with black paws

Honeybee-light brown tabby she-cat with gray markings

Badgerface-dark brown tabby tom with black back and face with green eyes

**Apprentices**

Wrenpaw- brown she-cat with silver belly

Ashpaw- smokey gray tom with black paws

Bluepaw- silver-blue she-cat with white belly

**Queens**

Batwing- gray she-cat with large ears and black tail, mother of Acornpelt's two kits: Chestnutkit (light brown she-cat) and Pinekit (dark brown tabby tom with gray chin and paws).

**Elders**

Oakfur- small brown tom

_**ThunderClan**_

**Leader** Bramblestar- dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes

**Deputy** Cinderheart- gray tabby she-cat

**Medicine Cat** Jayfeather- gray tabby tom  
_apprentice: _Fawnfur-light ginger-brown she-cat with white underbelly and brown spots and stripes on her back, two spots on her ear

**Warriors**

Whitewing- white she-cat with green eyes  
_apprentice_: Tigerpaw

Sorreltail- tortoiseshell and white she-cat with amber eyes

Squirrelflight- dark ginger she-cat with green eyes

Lionblaze- golden tabby tom with amber eyes

Toadstep*- black and white tom

Bumblethroat- very pale gray tom with black stripes (?)

Dovetooth- gray frosted she-cat (?)

Ivyflight- light tabby she-cat (?)  
_apprentice: Meadowpaw_

Dewstep-Small gray tom with one white paw, green eyes, claw scarred throat

Firesong- bright ginger she-cat

Pricklethorn- light tortoiseshell tom with brown tips  
_apprentice: Rosepaw_

Owlface- long-haired silver tom with a large white face

Frostshine- white she-cat with a gray sheen and silver tabby markings on her legs, front paw split in two during battle

Nightshade- black tom with faint stripes on his tail, two scars going down his front legs

Lilyblossom-soft creamy she-cat with brown underbelly and amber eyes

Greeneyes- white she-cat with green eyes

Morningsong- light ginger-brown she-cat with white underbelly and brown spots and stripes on her back

**Apprentices**

Rosepaw- light brown tom with white paws

Meadowpaw- white she-cat with gray and ginger spots

Tigerpaw- dark brown tabby tom with black chest and tail

**Queens**

Lightningwhisker- black she-cat with cream-colored stripes on her legs, mother of Bumblethroat's two kits: Blackkit (black she-cat with white chest and paws) and Graykit (gray tom with dark gray stripes)

**Elders**

Brackenfur- golden tabby tom

Cloudtail- long white-haired tom with blue eyes

Brightheart- white she-cat with ginger patches, half of her face is scarred

_**WindClan**_

**Leader **Onestar- brown tabby tom

**Deputy** Sunfrost^-tortoiseshell she-cat with large white mark on her forehead

**Medicine Cat** Kestrelflight*- mottled gray tom

**Warriors **

Silverfoot- silver tabby tom

Timberleaf- gray she-cat with thick swirling stripes  
_apprentice_: Buddingpaw-yellow she-cat with white around eyes and paws

Mountainheart- large dark brown tabby tom

Swiftroot- white she-cat with long fur on her legs and one brown stripe on her back

**_RiverClan_**

**Leader **Rainstar- mottled gray-blue tom

**Deptuy** Pinefur- very short-haired tabby she-cat

**Medicine Cat **Willowshine- gray tabby she-cat

**Warriors **

Tigereye-golden tabby she-cat with one amber eye and one blue

Gorseclaw- gray tom with ginger patches on legs

Dustyhead- silver she-cat with pale brown head and front paw

_**Summerheat Camp**_

**Leader** Raven- dark tortoiseshell tom

**Deputy **Beaverpaw- brown tom with black and white tortoiseshell spotting, originally from ThunderClan

**Leafcat (medicine cat)**  
Leafpool- light brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes  
_apprentice:_ Lily- white she-cat missing an eye and an ear

**_Dead Cats: _**

_StarClan _

Sunstorm- light ginger-brown she-cat with white underbelly and brown spots and stripes on her back, former ThunderClanner. Once had a gift to see the future

Redfur- ginger tom, former WindClanner

Harestar- brindled tom, once WindClan leader

Firestar- fire pelted tom with green eyes, once ThunderClan leader

Feathertail-

_Dark Forest _

Eveningbreeze- dark gray, almost black, she-cat with dusted ginger belly and chest

Fernstripe- light tabby she-cat

Tigerclaw- big dark brown tabby tom with unusually long front claws

Hawkfrost- dark brown tom with a white underbelly and ice blue eyes

Cinderblossom- dark gray she-cat with small white spots, loves to make up poems

Longfang- black and gray tom with long fangs

Snowclaw- white tom

_

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**(?) means I don't know warrior name **_

*** different in some of my other stories, but now they're the real names**

**Thank you for reading this. Hope the rest of the story is better. **

**^ is Erins have made the warrior names but I am too lazy to change it and I prefer mine **

**real (as seen in Omen of the Stars): **

**SC **

DAWNPELT, OLIVENOSE, SCORCHFUR, REDWILLOW

**WC **

Sunstrike


	2. Prologue 1: Eveningbreeze

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter. Any similarities between her fourth arc and this trilogy is accidental. Mine takes place seasons in the future to her books. Of course not all of her cats are dead, just a bit older._

_Disclaimer 2: I do not own the song_

You don't remember me but I remember you  
I lie awake and try so hard not to think of you  
but who can decide what they dream?  
and dream I do...  
-Taking over Me by Evanescence

_I'm so sad. No one reviewed my last story's ending. But I still have to put this up so I can finish Unknown Skies. So enjoy the ending to the trilogy:_

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**Prologue 1: Eveningbreeze**

Her yellow eyes scanned the three cats in front of her. There was Longfang, a black and gray tom whose incisors jutted down almost his chin; Cinderblossom, a dark gray she-cat with little white spots; and Snowclaw, a white tom. The three sat across from her on the other side of the narrow ditch. Above them branches interlocked, almost blocking out the sky. She'd taught these cats, among others, for the last half moon, preparing them for the day they'd make contact with the cats of the living Clans.

Her sister, Fernstripe, sat near her side. The light tabby shifted, her tail flicking uneasily as she scanned the surrounding trees. She was watching for other cats who might seek to interrupt them. And there were a few who would disagree with what they were doing. Eveningbreeze knew she didn't have long. Which was why she'd only brought a small group that day.

"I want you to think of the cat you've been watching this past half moon," meowed the dark gray she-cat with ginger belly. "Picture them in your mind and stare into the Darkpool. I want you to imagine them here in the Dark Forest. Bring them to our realm while they sleep. Their dreams will guide them to us."

The three obeyed, concentrating hard as they stared into the Darkpool. The pool of water lay in a small dip beneath the pine and rowan trees. It was encircled by stones Tigerstar and others had gathered, lining the very edge as if to measure how big or small it got. The Darkpool was as wide as three cats and as black as the sky above. Small ripples wrinkled the surface, undulating from deep shadow to smudged gray. It was impossible to see the very bottom.

Eveningbreeze blinked and looked away from the Darkpool. It had a draw on her. She wanted to continue watching, to peer through the darkness and find the light from the living world, but she couldn't just yet. After these three were finished, then could she and Fernstripe visit ShadowClan as they'd planned.

The she-cat looked skyward. The dark, starless sky loomed above the trees, just patches above the knotted branches. It seemed so far away, but at the same time it seemed as if the branches touched the darkened vaults with their golden and orange leaves. The Place-of-No-Stars, the Dark Forest, was trapped in eternal leaf-fall.

There were many types of trees in the endless forest, a mixture of leaf- and needle-baring giants. Beneath all the twisted trunks and branches, patches of multiple layers of undergrowth choked the roots. There were brambles, thistles, gorse, very few ferns, the stinging ivy, and a few clearings of grass. Vines roped their way up the ragged bark, squeezing tightly to the trees as if choking the life out of them. A haze of smoke wrapped around the trees, a sharp irritating scent from a distant constant fire.

"I see her!" Snowclaw growled. His voice drew Eveningbreeze back to her 'apprentices'.

"She's in the forest," the white tom continued. "Near the dead elm."

"Good," Eveningbreeze purred. "And the rest of you? Do you see the cats?"

The other two nodded, glancing at her and back to the pool. If she were to look, she wouldn't see the same things they did. Every cat saw something different when they envisioned things into the Darkpool.

"Then go and find them before they wander off," she ordered. "And remember to not give anything away about us. Though we haunt them and weaken them before the battle, they must not be warned of our attack. Tease them, hurt them, lie to them- I don't care as long as they fear us. Fear their dreams and doubt their Clans. This is the time for revenge! These are the decedents of those that betrayed you. They are the offspring of your killers and the weaklings that didn't deserve life. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, Eveningbreeze," the three cats nodded. Satisfied glints flashed in their hard eyes. They leered, already thinking of what they'd say. Longfang, with his odd face looked the most frightening and Eveningbreeze had a hard time not flinching away. She knew whoever his target was wouldn't ever sleep easily again.

"Go," she ordered, nose flaring.

While the toms walked off, Cinderblossom stayed. She looked at both she-cats from across the pool with her wide green eyes.

"Marshalling forward shattered hope  
Silver light on spider web gleam  
Cutting strand and falling downward  
Darkness take me  
Never shall they save."

Then the she-cat turned away and disappeared into the thick undergrowth, pushing through with hunched shoulders. The thorns snagged in her pelt, but she ignored them. These dark hearted cats had long put up with these trials, just as they knew they could never catch prey in the forest, they knew they'd be torn by the thorns.

"That was a horrible poem," Fernstripe muttered, staring after the other she-cat. "It didn't even rhyme."

Eveningbreeze snorted. "It amuses her. She needs something to do in this forest. Which is why she joined me in the first place."

"But she seems crazy muttering nonsense like that!"

"I've noticed most cats aren't quite right here," Eveningbreeze murmured.

Her sister stared at her with wide eyes. Her mouth started to open as if she were going to ask a question. The light tabby never got to. Out from the forest edge, walking down to the lowest part of the ditch, two dark brown tabbies stepped. One set of eyes glimmered amber and the other tom's were light blue like a killing frost. His white belly looked almost too bright in the darkness.

"You must be careful," Tigerstar meowed. "Or someone might think you're talking about yourself."

"Tigerstar. Hawkfrost," Eveningbreeze meowed. She didn't bow her head, not like Fernstripe did the moment she saw them. She sat straight, stiff as she could, and tried not to glare. They need not know just yet how deeply she despised them. Once they'd had her respect, perhaps even her infatuation, but now she knew they were nothing but fools. They'd wasted the whole moon. Instead of coming to the Darkpool like she did, they hid out in the forest, being silent while they prepared for the night all of the Dark Forest would attack the Clans by the lake.

The two toms stood on the opposite side of the Darkpool that Longfang, Snowclaw, and Cinderblossom had left. Their tails twitched slowly side to side. Hawkfrost glared at Eveningbreeze, baring his teeth at her. She just narrowed her eyes and gave him a slight smile. Let him wonder what it meant. They were declared enemies after all. The whole forest knew it ever since their fight.

"Why are you here?" Tigerstar asked.

She let her eyes slowly move to the leader of the Dark Forest. His amber eyes glimmered at her. He already knew the answer. She could tell. He just wanted to hear it from her own tongue. Perhaps he just wanted a confession, a reason to blame her. She wouldn't fall for his trap.

"You are wasting the power of the Darkpool," he hissed when she didn't reply. Only then did he allow a growl to rumble in his throat.

"StarClan has long abused their own power," Eveningbreeze spat back. "This small bit will not matter. It will not affect anything when we all leave this forest."

"You must stop. You've disobeyed my orders, Eveningbreeze," he growled at her. "No cat was meant to use the Darkpool until the Dark Night. You've grown arrogant since you died. Until this point, only my good will in gratitude for all your help and cunning have kept you one of my leaders."

"But we can't let that continue," Hawkfrost meowed when his father stopped. "You've started turning other cats against us. They are using the Darkpool as if it were permanent."

"And know this," Tigerstar meowed. "They will be punished like you."

"You are the fools!" she hissed. The former ShadowClan warrior stood up and leaned over the Darkpool. She could feel her fur rise on end. By her side Fernstripe just huddled, trying not to be seen like she'd always done as a kit.

"Through me the Darkpool will never run dry!" she yelled. "The Clans will know us! We visit their dreams and bring up memories of the past. The Dark Forest will be on their lips before they ever reach StarClan!"

She glared at them to say anything against her. They didn't react. The two toms just watched her with calm eyes. She knew then they'd made this decision before they'd come. No matter what she said wouldn't change their cruel hearts. Well it didn't matter than if she explained herself, but she would, just in case there were listening ears.

"With each visit our fame grows," she meowed, settling back down. "And so will our power over the living. Besides, it's not as if I've told them to jump into the pool and visit their dreams. We can't control that. They're bringing the cats to us. That doesn't use up as much energy."

"You seem to know a lot about it," Hawkfrost growled.

"My contact and I do this often," Eveningbreeze explained. "How else do you think I get information on the Clans if I didn't visit her once and a while? I think I know more about the Darkpool than even you."

He growled even deeper and his claws came out. Eveningbreeze glanced around. She didn't see any movement in the shadow of the trees. Luckily the two had not brought any other cats. This was personal business. And as long as it was just the two of them, Eveningbreeze knew she had a chance.

"You must stop," Tigerstar ordered her again. "You and that ThunderClan she-cat might have helped us in the past, but there is nothing more we need from our contacts. The battle is too near."

"That is why you are the fool," she snapped. "You don't realize that StarClan is still working against us-"

"Those five?" Hawkfrost drawled. "I thought you'd taken care of that. Unless the she-cat came back. . ."

She frowned. When had he heard about that? She'd separated Honeybee from her siblings for a while, but somehow her brother convinced her back to ShadowClan. But still, they hadn't done what the starry warriors required. They'd failed and so would the prophesy.

"They are through," Tigerstar meowed firmly, sweeping his tail downward. "They could not stop us in time. And now there is nothing they can do. Your little distraction wasn't worth a rat's tail. Now give up quietly and we will be easy on you."

She paused as if thinking it over. Her tail twitched restlessly, brushing against her sister. Fernstripe looked up, watching her sister's body move slowly as if she weren't aware how odd she was acting. Eveningbreeze was using the secret signals they'd used when they'd been alive. Fernstripe would understand her. At least Eveningbreeze hoped her sister hadn't gotten mouse-brained and still remembered the plan.

Finally she sighed and bowed her head. From the corner of her eyes she saw Hawkfrost grin. He thought she'd given up. What an idiot. She forced her heavy head upward and stood. All around her the forest was still as if awaiting her answer.

"Tigerstar, Hawkfrost," she paused again at watched them. Amber eyes gazed at her and she passed by them to stare at the son.

"There isn't anything you can do to stop me." She smirked at him, enjoying the rage flashing across his face.

Hawkfrost snarled, jumping for her. She shoved Fernstripe into the pool. Her sister shrieked and fought to swim, but she was sinking downward, the blackness covering her face. Eveningbreeze didn't waste time in following after. She jumped in after, pushing her sister downward into the black water. Claws gripped her tail like thorns, digging in and tearing as the darkness filled her eyes. Cold was all around her, soaking into her pelt, pouring into her ears and open mouth. She couldn't see a thing. Her tail stopped aching as the claws slipped free.

She was surrounded by nothing. For a moment she forgot herself. It was nice to just rest there in the cold and have nothing to worry about. She forgot her purpose. She had no name, she had no enemies, and she had no past or future. Was there a future? Wasn't there an imminent battle she was supposed to be worried about? She shook her head. It moved slowly, forcing its way between thickness. Her nose felt tight and so did her lungs. She had to breath! Her heart raced and her eyes flashed open, but there was still nothing. She was trapped in the dark. The cold everywhere around her, starting to fill her. Faint memories returned to her.

Think of one cat! she told herself. The image formed in her mind as her reasons came back to her. Why she'd plunged recklessly into the Darkpool. She was trying to visit someone. Someone living. The one cat she'd been meaning to see for a long time. The one who'd caused all of her problems. . . . and the world formed around her.


	3. Prologue 2: Stoneheart

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter_

_Disclaimer 2: I do not own the song_

_What? Two prologues? How is that possible? Well, I'm the author anything I want goes. *Evil laughter* But besides that I thought one prologue would get too long and you all had to see where Eveningbreeze went, right?_

Most of us will never know  
How dark this world can seem  
When life becomes more nightmare than a dream.  
-The Edge by Michael Card.

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**Prologue 2: Stoneheart**

The gray tom blinked his yellow eyes. For a moment the forest had wavered in his view. The trees had faded away into something dark with twisted trees and thick undergrowth. A hazy smoke wreathed the bent trunks and eyes flashed at him with hate as groups of shadowed cats pushed through thick thorns. But that vision left as everything returned to normal. He looked around. He stood on the outside of the pine forest, on the edge of ShadowClan territory. The place where he felt most at peace.

The sky was black, speckled with the endless bright stars of Silverpelt. The trees were green and leaves waved in a slight wind. On the horizon the sun started to rise. A sliver of yellow crested the small hill below the lake. Unusually the horseplace wasn't at the edge of the Thunderpath. The lake rippled endlessly, forcing water away from the center even as it pulled it back. The island where the Clans met for the Gathering was a dark patch of stillness.

"Stoneheart! Stoneheart!"

He turned to gaze at the three kits racing towards him. They ran over from behind the trees, hurrying from camp just to be with him. One was a smoky gray tom, another was a sliver-blue she-cat with a white belly, and the last was another she-cat but she was brown and had a silver belly. They gazed at him, barely taller than his lower leg. Their eyes shined happily. They almost reminded him of their mother.

"Ashkit, Bluekit, Wrenkit," he purred. He leaned down and licked their small heads.

"Teach me how to hunt, please?" Ashkit meowed, blinking his blue eyes.

"Me too, me too," the she-kits chirped, leaping into the air.

"How cute," a voice drawled.

Stoneheart froze. The fur along his spine rose and his heart started beating fast. He knew the voice. It was so familiar. It brought chills through his legs until they shook. His claws came out and sank into the hard ground. He reluctantly lifted his eyes from his children and looked into the forest.

She stood there beneath the bowing branches of a silver pine tipped with blue. Her ginger chest and belly stood out brightly against the rest of her shadowy body. Yellow eyes stared into his own with amusement. "So this is what you dream about, Brother?" she asked.

"Dream?" he mewed. He couldn't stop his voice from quavering, from sounding so much like a kit's. He looked down at his own, but they'd started to fade away, still staring at him in innocence. They soon disappeared altogether as if they'd never been.

"They're apprentices now. Remember?" Eveningbreeze meowed. She walked forward, out of the branches of the low pine. The needles shook in her passing, falling to the ground.

"And they don't love you either," she hissed, blinking softly at him. "They care nothing for you. You don't visit them enough to foster any feelings between you. I don't blame you. Such foolish things, _kits_," she spat. "If you give one attention, the rest might turn on him. Poor, poor Ashpaw. You think he's like you? Want to protect him from his mean older sisters?"

She'd reached him now. Her leering face thrust right into his own. He moaned and flinched away from her, leaning as far back as he could without moving from his spot. The dirt felt cold and hard, ungiving. He wanted it to swallow him so he'd be out of her chilling sight. It had been so long, too many seasons. If it was a dream, why had she come?

"You're dead," he whimpered. "You can't be here."

"Death cannot hold me," she growled softly. She reached forward and licked him on his ear. It stung and he lowered both. He could already feel it fraying, becoming like it was in the waking world. It was cut in half, the whole top tip missing. The rest was ragged and red, scarred by sharp claws seasons ago. His tail ached too, reminding him that it had been broken. And two of his front claws were suddenly missing.

"That's better," she purred, sitting back. "No need lying anymore to yourself. You aren't a perfect tom. So broken."

He continued to stare at her. His heart beat heavily in his chest, but it wasn't rapid. It seemed too slow for the terror and dread he felt at meeting her again.

"W-w-why are y-you h-h-h-here?" he swallowed.

"You p-p-p-oor stuttering tom," she mocked him. "I'm pleased I could get that back. It's been so long since I've heard your voice and your terror. You haven't been that way since Snaketail died. Am I right? When you thought Kinkstar would blame you for his death? That was a glorious time." She sighed in satisfaction.

Stoneheart's face twitched and he glared at her. Anger rushed through him.

"No, no," she tsked at him, waving her tail. "I saw that! Don't you look at me that way. You know better. I thought we'd trained you."

Terror washed out the fierce rage. He swallowed again. Finally his heart beat faster and he lowered his head. The gray tabby tom crouched in front of her, huddling away.

"You do remember after all," she purred. "But don't worry. I'm not going to hurt you."

He didn't lift his eyes. He knew better all right. Just with her gone from the Clan he'd let himself start to relax, to not be so worried. He'd tried to forget his past and the torture his sisters made him suffer through. He didn't want to remember. But now he had to if he wanted to survive. When dealing with Eveningbreeze it was better to show only the reactions she wanted him to. If she wanted him to scream, he would; if she wanted him to beg her forgiveness, he would; if she wanted him to ask for more, he would. When he agreed to her demands, the sooner she stopped toying with him, got bored of him. He had to be less of a target to her.

"No, I won't at all," she was saying. She rose to her feet and paced away. He watched her paws move against the ground, quickly stepping as she turned around and started again. "Where is she? She should have been here by now! Idiot sister."

"Don't call me that," came the whining voice. "It took me a while to remember what we were doing. You didn't have to shove me."

Stoneheart couldn't stop himself. He lifted his eyes and stared as a light tabby she-cat walked along the edge of the lake, coming toward them. On the horizon, the sun still didn't move. The sky above was still a beautiful night. They were just in his dream after all. Time meant nothing there.

Fernstripe came to them. Her step was light, her ears up. When he saw her, he was confused for a moment. The bitter look as if she'd swallowed mousebile, which had always on her pointed face, was now gone. She seemed more relaxed, not so resentful or strained. She seemed gentle somehow. And she'd spoken back to Eveningbreeze. This wasn't the sister he knew. She'd been a spiteful she-cat always agreeing or fawning for their sister. Obedient to every word even if she made some comment about it.

When Stoneheart glanced at Eveningbreeze there was a difference in her he hadn't noticed. Her eyes looked gloomy as if forcing sadness away from her mind. She looked gaunt as if she hadn't eaten in a long time and there were scars on her body. In addition to some red dripping down her tail from a recent fight. Old scars that she hadn't in life scattered across her pelt. Four dots lined her neck as if someone had tried to tear it out. She looked older somehow as if she'd been through more than her time as a warrior by the lake.

"Admiring these?" his sister asked, catching his eye.

He looked down, but not before seeing her tail tip touch one scar. Drying blood smeared across her chest.

"Don't worry. You can get some to match," Eveningbreeze laughed. "It's the least we could do for you. You betrayed us after all."

"You told the Clan about us. Gave us up to that Darkfire and his friends," Fernstripe hissed. She sat next to his side, glaring down at him as he hunched over. "And you killed me."

He blinked.

"You don't remember?" she growled. "You ran away from me, you scum. If you hadn't, I wouldn't have followed you. That tunnel wouldn't have collapsed and pulled me under the ground. It's because of you I have to live in the Dark Forest!"

Stoneheart growled back, raising his gray tabby head to glare at you. "Y-y-you didn't-t-t have to p-pull my claws out either!" he snapped. "You d-deserve everyt-t-thing you got!"

Fernstripe's ears went back and she blinked. She gazed over at Eveningbreeze in confusion.

"Brother's got bite now," the dark gray she-cat meowed, laughing. "We have to teach him to behave."

Fernstripe nodded. "I agree. And I want to do it. It's my revenge after all."

Stoneheart's eyes widened and his breath caught in his chest. Mouse-brain! he spat at himself. He'd just given them more reason to give him pain. It would be more fun for them now.

"Now hold still," Fernstripe purred.

Her claws came out slowly so he could watch. Then she placed her paw on top of his own and she leaned down. He gasped and tried to stifle the sound. He hadn't realized even dreaming he could feel pain.

"Did you say something?" Eveningbreeze meowed, leaning closer until her ear was by his face.

_Bite it, bite it_, he told himself. But his jaws remained firmly clamped shut. He knew then he wasn't worth anything. He didn't even deserve to have the admiration of any cat. He was too intimidated by his sisters to ever fight back. He was a coward. She leaned away and gazed at him. "By the time she's done with you, not even StarClan will want to see you."

Eveningbreeze grinned at him. Her teeth seemed stained. Stained by blood or by ill care, it didn't matter. She frightened him.

Fernstripe lifted her paw off of his own and looked at it. He glanced down and wished he hadn't. Droplets of blood ran down the white surface. His paw started to throb.

"You know, Stoneheart," Fernstripe meowed. "I want you to do something for me."

Eveningbreeze nudged him when he didn't reply.

"W-w-what?" he meowed. His voice was hoarse. His legs shook and he wanted just to hide, not be boxed in like this, unable to go anywhere.

"I want you to hold this for me," she told him.

She picked up his tail in her mouth and passed it to him. He just held the tip, contorted over so he could reach it and sit without pain.

"Good," she nodded. "Now bite down."

He stared at her.

"Do it, or you won't have a tail when you wake up!"

His eyes widened. He slowly forced his teeth down while Eveningbreeze laughed even more, pleased by her sister. As Stoneheart felt a sharp jolt rush up from his tail, he winced. He started wondering why he was doing these things. She would get him to hurt himself without lifting a paw if she wanted to. And he wouldn't do anything about it. Just obey. He'd tried defying a few times in the past. The very last got Fernstripe killed, but she'd only come back to him. To visit him in his dream and torture him there where there wasn't any chance for rescue. He whimpered as his teeth broke the skin. Warm blood filled his mouth and started leaking from the corners.

"Silly Stoneheart," Fernstripe blinked. "I didn't say to hurt yourself. I only said bite down. Oh, well. you must love the pain. So I'll help you out."

She moved forward, an easy smile on her face. Eveningbreeze just sat back, her eyes half closed.

Stoneheart let go of his tail and struck out. His larger paw hit her face and she recoiled, staring at him. His heart pounded and alternative waves of cold terror and warm elation crashed through him. He didn't want her near him and if only for that reason would he act without thinking.

Eveningbreeze sat up, her eyes open now and a frown on her face. He stared between them.

"Shame on you brother," Eveningbreeze meowed. "We weren't going to kill you. Oh, no. But now I think we will. Won't that worry the Clan, seeing your dead body in the warriors' den with them? I wonder what they will think happened."

He shook all over. They started moving closer. Paws pushing hard against the dirt, he turned away. He knocked into Fernstripe. She fell back down, her claws digging deep into his shoulder as he fled. He didn't care where he went as long as it was away from them. He couldn't see. His eyes watered from pain and from terror. His breath was harsh. He wasn't sure if he ran to the forest or to the lake. His paws stumbled across stones and he couldn't keep his balance.

"Why?" he yowled. "This is m-my d-dream! Why does it have to torture me?" Why couldn't he get away from them? Why couldn't he just grow wings and soar above their heads and escape their evil claws? It was unfair. Like it always had been. Like when his parents never stopped them, when the Clan ignored their abuse. He'd thought he'd finally escaped from them. But like Eveningbreeze had said, not even death could hold them. Perhaps there was no safety anywhere.

"Oh, StarClan," he wheezed. "Help me."

Soft grass replaced the stones and he thrust himself forward, picking up speed. He could still hear them behind. They stumbled over the loose stones, but their steps became silent as they reached the grass. A dark shape loomed in front of him. The gray tabby tom halted, opening his eyes wide and shaking clear the tears. It was only a tree. A wide tree blocked his path. He turned around, hoping to dodge away from it. On one side a fallen log rested at an angle to the oak and the other side sloped upward in a steep hill. There was only one way back, but they'd caught up to him.

The sisters stood shoulder to shoulder. Teeth bared, they approached step for step.

"I'll take his tail," Fernstripe meowed.

"Then the paws are mine," Eveningbreeze growled. "He won't run then."

He shivered, backing up against the tree. A small, low twig dug into his hind end, pressing painfully into his pelt. He was trapped and there was no way out of this one. He closed his eyes, preparing for the worst. He had no energy left in him. He could do nothing but accept his fate.

A hollow sound made him open his eyes. A cat had leapt onto the fallen log. She stood there, a sliver-blue she-cat. Soon on her other side appeared a ginger tom and with him a white tom with black paws. On the hill other cats approached. They all had one thing in common. Flecks of stars glinted in their fur. It shone so bright that he had to squint his eyes to see.

Eveningbreeze looked startled. She stared up the hill then at the cats on the log.

"StarClan," she hissed. "How dare you come here."

"How dare you step paw here, Clanless One," the silver-blue she-cat retorted.

"This is StarClans territory," the ginger tom meowed. "The Dark Forest has no place here."

Now that Stoneheart looked. He could see his sisters looked more like shadows than actual cats. Their pelt colors were faded and smudged. They seemed to cling to things rather than stand out. And they had no shadow of their own. Though the moon was bright overhead, almost full, it didn't make them any more clearer.

"Leave now," the white tom with black paws ordered.

"You can't order us," Eveningbeeze yowled. "You aren't our leaders anymore!"

"Really, I think we should leave," Fernstripe whispered, crouching down. "We're outnumbered."

Eveningbreeze started laughing. She stood straight and faced the StarClan leaders.

"They can't do anything to us, you coward," the dark gray she-cat meowed, narrowing her eyes at all the cats. "If they try anything, it will just give more power to the Dark Forest."

"Not if we use our claws, Fox-heart," growled a brindled tom. He flashed them at her and she shut her mouth, glaring at him.

"We will leave now," she grimace at them, "But only because this isn't worth it. Our true fight is only days away. And we all know you won't do anything then." She laughed again, her eyes flashing and darting side-to-side. "Not if you want to keep the 'balance'. There is no way you can stop the Clans from being destroyed. You can't even stop the Dark Forest. You gave us this power. Come on, Fernstripe." She jerked her head and turned around, walking leisurely away.

Fernstripe leaped upright and sped after her sister, slinking along by her side. Suddenly they just faded away, disappearing as if the night had swallowed them.

Stoneheart blinked and turned to face the cats who'd saved him. Their faces softened, relaxing from their snarls once the cats from the Dark Forest were gone. Two jumped off of the log to face him. The silver-blue she-cat sniffed him.

"He's wounded." One of her ears flicked.

"I can get Spottedleaf," the fiery ginger tom meowed.

"Let Harestar," she told him.

The brindled tom glared at them but quickly stalked away through the forest. Stoneheart didn't watch him leave. He looked at the three leaders around him. One looked familiar. He stared at the ginger.

"Yes, I'm Firestar," the tom smiled. "My companions are Bluestar and Blackstar." He waved his tail to each. Blackstar, the white tom with black paws stood on the log, gazing down at them.

"What was Eveningbreeze talking about?" Stoneheart asked, looking between them. "What does she mean about the fight?"

The leaders glanced at each other and then at the other cats surrounding them. He could tell they weren't going to speak. For some reason it was a secret what Eveningbreeze had uttered. A dangerous one.

"You really won't abandon us will you?" he pleaded. They couldn't. Eveningbreeze couldn't be right about the "Dark Forest" destroying the Clans. StarClan just wouldn't let that happen.

Bluestar sighed and looked away. Even Firestar, though a guilty look passed his face, didn't say a word. The other cats gazed down at them as if daring them to speak.

"Hear this," Blackstar meowed, standing up on the log. Stoneheart gazed up at the leader. He could barely remember this tom. He'd been a kit when Kinkstar replaced the elderly ShadowClan leader.

The tom continued when all eyes were on him. A blank look crossed his face but his voice did not waver. "When all is lost and the darkness overcomes the moon, the stars will still be in the sky for you."

* * *

**Now you can see why it's rated 'T'. Perhaps** Deep in the Forest **should have been as well. I think I'll change it right now. It's a bit more violent with cats murdering parents and more torture (though not as bad as some stories I've read on this site).**

**Anyway, I'm not going to post any more chapters until I get five reviews. That means _you_ silent reader! Even just putting a friendly 'hi' will do.**


	4. Chapter 1: Lakefrost

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter_

_Disclaimer 2: I do not own the song_

_Thanks to my reviewers: _GinnyStar_ and_ Darkness of the Eclipse

_And especially to _QK Ninja_ for writting the fifth review_

_And for _Nature Girl27_ for reviewing during the time I procrastinated posting a new chapter._

So to all of you who have survived  
A visit to the edge,  
I trust that you will understand this pledge.  
-The edge by Micheal Card

* * *

**Chapter 1**

"I can't believe those clouds came back," Mallowstalk muttered, looking up with a grimace.

Instead of the purple and orange sky of evening, gray clouds hovered, dropping lower with every heartbeat. Valleys and hills formed in the mist while dark blue lines started falling. The air got a bit colder and a small breeze whipped through the camp, shaking the bushes and leaves from the trees with a hissing sound. The rain was coming.

Most cats were inside the dens at this point, not willing to face the storm, but the four young ShadowClan warriors used this to their advantage. They could talk secretly now without any of their Clanmates hearing. They lay next to the camp wall, a thin section of bushes between the warriors' den and elders' den. They could already hear snores from the latter where Oakfur deeply slept. Pointed leaves leaned over the, curling the four cats into a niche of soft shadows. On occasion they would peer out and watch for other cats Honeybee snuggled against Lakefrost's side and he gave his sister a smile. He was glad she'd come back. He'd had to go to a twolegplace twice just to get her. The golden she-cat had run away about a quarter moon ago after she lost a battle. No one in the Clan knew why she'd disappeared, but they were glad she was back.

The two siblings returned yesterday, walking into camp at nightfall. Orangestripe seemed the most pleased and raced for Honeybee, covering her with licks and throwing all dignity to the wind as he purred and babbled on about missing her and wanting to go hunting with her. Lakefrost could see that Honeybee was pleased with his attention.

Then Fallingstar had come. The leader approached her daughter and asked Honeybee to enter the Large Stump. The two remained inside for a long time. Lakefrost wasn't sure what they talked about, but when Honeybee came back, she looked more relaxed. And that morning she'd been allowed to lead a border patrol. Perhaps Fallingstar was trying to make it up to her daughter and show Honeybee that her Clan needed her and did trust her with tasks.

Honeybee also seemed to be trying. She didn't talk excessively to Orangestripe anymore, distracting him or teasing the other toms. She tried to hunt and pay attention, not wandering off or snoozing in a sunbeam. She seemed to put her whole heart into her warrior duties, grateful to come back to the Clan and not be rejected. No one else realized she'd been a kittypet for a few days. Ashpaw and Fallingstar had both kept their promises.

"There might not be a Gathering this moon," Mallowstalk continued, looking back down and meeting their eyes.

"It's only in two days," Badgerface meowed. He blinked between them and Lakefrost wondered if he was hearing everything they said. The whole Clan had recently discovered the dark brown tabby tom was deaf and that his hearing came and went at odd moments. Like in a middle of a battle.

"But we haven't stopped anything," Lakefrost sighed. "We failed StarClan."

"It was doomed from the start," Mallowstalk grumbled. "We couldn't work with a cat from another Clan and be expected to find four other traitors."

"Fawnfur isn't a traitor," Lakefrost snapped at her, his eyes narrowing.

"I didn't call her one," she retorted. "I was just calling those cats working for the Dark Forest the traitors."

"Just watch what you say about her," he growled back. "She's gotten us this far."

"Watch what you say about Fawnfur or someone might think you have feelings for her," Mallowstalk returned.

Lakefrost shut his mouth and turned away, glaring at a nearby leaf. He knew Mallowstalk was right, but it had still been rude for her to say. He did care about Fawnfur. But not as a love interest as most of the cats thought. She was his friend and she needed his help because for a long time no one believed ThunderClan was in danger. Most cats still didn't know. Only Lakefrost had his siblings knew and they had been contacted by StarClan to save the Clans from the Dark Forest.

"So is there anything else we can do to stop them in time?" he asked, looking back at his tom and two she-cats.

"We don't even know how they're getting here," Mallowstalk meowed. "They haven't before."

"The balanced changed," Honeybee meowed quietly. "Remember at the Moonpool? They said that."

Lakefrost tried to remember what the starry ancestors had told him and the others, but that had been a quarter moon ago. Since that day, too many things had occurred. There had been trespassing, two border battles, and Honeybee disappearing. It was hard to remember what StarClan had said. He'd been in awe of them and he might not have been listening. He lowered his ears, suddenly ashamed of himself.

"Didn't they say the Dark Forest was using something to contact the living?" Honeybee continued. She blinked her yellow eyes at them, gazing around the circle. "What if we closed that instead of speaking with the traitors?"

"And how are we supposed to get to the Dark Forest?" Mallowstalk stared at her sister. "It's not like they have a Moonpool that we visit and join them."

"It was just a suggestion," Honeybee mewed. She tucked her paws closer to her chest and looked down.

"And a good one," Lakefrost told her, glaring at Mallowstalk. "You are probably right that they're using something to communicate with the Clans. Maybe we should talk to Fawnfur and see what she knows."

Mallowstalk looked like she had something to say about that as well, but the ginger she-cat never got the chance. A wild shriek wailed around the camp. The nursery shook. Lakefrost stared at Batwing stumbled out of the thorns. The dark gray she-cat with large ears stepped out, her eyes scanning the camp, darting about like hummingbirds. Her black tail thrashed and became fluffy as her fur stood on end.

"My kits!" she yowled. "My kits are gone!

At her cry, the warriors' den moved. Cats poured from the narrow entrance to enter the clearing. They circled around the distraught queen, asking her questions. Fallingstar bounded from her den in the Large Stump and demanded quiet. The Clan listened to her and grew still.

"What happened?" demanded the brown and gray tabby leader. "When did this happen?"

"I just woke up and they were gone. There's a hole at the back of the nursery. Oh, please don't let a fox get them!"

Fallingstar nodded. She looked at the Clan, making sure everyone was with them before issuing orders. She found her deputy. "Tigerheart, take some warriors to the ThunderClan border. Brownfeather to the RiverClan. Acornpelt, guard the camp with Badgerface."

"I want to look for my kits," Acornpelt growled. The brown tom with dark splotches had a fierce look in his eyes. He wouldn't stay back even for Fallingstar. The leader seemed to know. She gazed at him a while and then nodded.

"Stoneheart stay with Badgerface. Everyone else, start from the nursery and work outward."

Lakefrost stood up, his sisters rising to their feet as well. Badgerface remained where he was.

"Sorry brother," the gray tabby meowed. He rubbed his head against Badgerface.

"No, I know Fallingstar doesn't want to risk me," the dark brown tabby sighed. "She wants her best warriors out of camp."

He stopped and looked at his brother as a majority of the warriors joined either Brownfeather or Tigerheart and left the camp. They were going to the borders, hoping to find the kits there or stop them before they got there. Fallingstar took a group out to track the kits directly from the nursery.

"What do you mean?" Lakefrost asked.

"There isn't any need to protect the camp," his brother answered quietly. "The kits are more important. I can't hear, so I'm a liability. Stoneheart is injured so Fallingstar isn't sending him out."

"We don't have all day for this," Mallowstalk interrupted. Her claws dug into the dirt and she stared between her brothers.

"Go," Badgerface meowed, turning away.

Lakefrost bowed his head and turned away. The three started for the camp entrance. They watched Stoneheart limp for the nursery. His tail was swathed in cobwebs and the side of his face was a fierce red. When the Clan woke up that morning, Stoneheart had been bleeding as if in a fight and was sent to the medicine cats. There he was told he looked like he was healing, but they wanted to keep the wounds clean. The gray cat wouldn't tell anyone where he'd gotten the injuries from and it was a mystery. The siblings left the camp and circled around to the back of the nursery where the hole was. It was just large enough for a kit to get through. It didn't look like a fox had stolen them. It seemed they'd gotten out on their own and went exploring. When Batwing found them again, Pinekit and Chestnutkit were in trouble. Lakefrost hoped the kits hadn't gotten far from camp.

Through the hole they could hear Stoneheart sniffing around and searching in the moss. Lakefrost peered in and saw him sit down and look into the distance as if thinking. Sudden anger smoldered in his yellow eyes, but fear crinkled the corners. Lakefrost was surprised. The dark gray tabby tom hadn't shown much interest in his kin so why did he care about these kits? They weren't even his own.

From the forest he heard Dappleflower call out. "I found a scent!"

Lakefrost would have raced in that direction, but Mallowstalk flung her tail in front of him, and stopped him. She glanced at him and then leaned down, her nose twitching delicately.

"We have to go," he meowed, ears flicking.

"I won't be able to get a scent with all of them covering it up," she answered without looking at him. She raised her head and opened her mouth, breathing deeply. Her chest rose and fell as she searched the gusting air. The breeze tugged at their fur, first blowing it one way and then the other as the air around them got colder. The clouds above continued to lower.

"It is that way," she finally meowed.

He showed his teeth briefly and started off where Dappleflower had been. Despite being angry, he didn't say a word. By now the rest of the Clan was gone. They were on the kit's trail. Only Honeybee and Mallowstalk were with him now. The kits might be found before they even caught up to the patrol. The three followed the familiar scents of Dappleflower, Fallingstar, and two apprentices. The trail led them around the heady scents of pine and was almost consumed.

It seemed odd that the farther they got, the more the kit's scent faded away. There was too many other smells around them: prey that had crossed their path and the ground that was taking on a damp scent although the rain hadn't yet touched. Lakefrost could imagine that his Clanmates were having difficulties. He knew they'd slowed down. He could catch glimpses of them moving beyond the jagged bark and low branches. He picked up his pace so they could join the patrol.

His sisters trotted beside him, not saying a word. Honeybee had a frown on her face, looking serious and Mallowstalk continued to glance around as if distracted. They came to a thick patch of garlic and it washed out most of the smell. Two bushes of thin, but long as cat tails leaves, blocked their path. Little white, five pointed flowers poked out on long stems and beneath the bushes, bulbs were just revealed. A sharp spicy smell filled the area. Cat fur caught on the leaves where the patrol had pushed through.

No wonder they were going slowly, Lakefrost thought. They'd probably lost the scent and were searching for it. He glanced back at his sisters and sighed.

"I don't know if we'll find the kits now."

"You give up too easily," Mallowstalk told him. She shouldered him aside and stepped through the two garlic bushes. She sniffed around the ground and brushed her face against a low needled branch.  
The green spikes poked into her fur, but she ignored them and moved to the next. Finally she looked at them.

"They kits smell like garlic now, mostly, but I think we can follow them."

"Then go," Lakefrost encouraged.

She nodded and quickly started away, trying to follow an odd trail. Lakefrost hurried behind, Honeybee anxiously keeping pace. They continued that way, leaving Fallingstar and her patrol behind. They didn't have time to find the others if they could reach the kits first. They hurried between the pines and the very few bushes. They came to boulders. Jagged and gray and full of cracks, the boulders were long and a half-head taller than the cats. Mallowstalk circled in confusion.

"It's here. They have to be here," she muttered. "The trail leads here."

"Pinekit! Chestnutkit!" Lakefrost yowled. He turned around, looking for any tail.

"Maybe they climbed a tree," Honeybee suggested and started looking upward. She scanned the trees while Lakefrost sniffed around the bushes. Mallowstalk stayed by the boulders. She peered between two boulders where the gray sides met. It was a fair sized gap. Lakefrost saw her leaning in and came closer. He looked over her shoulder. In the ground was a wide dark hole. The kits had found the underground.


	5. Chapter 2: Fawnfur

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter_

_Disclaimer 2: I do not own the song_

_Thanks to reviewers: _Chat et Chocolate_,_ QK Ninja_, and _Darkness of the Eclipse_._

_Anyway, I hadn't noticed I had Tigerstar as Tigerclaw in the first prologue. I fixed that now, so it should make a bit more sense. Oh and if you wanted to know what was up with Longfang I'll tell you. I decided he could have more of a sabertooth cat look. Because why not have Clan cats that look like ancient cats?_

_Well, here's just another chapter to get you up todate in case you forgot what happened in the story._

I promise I will always leave  
The darkness for the light.  
I swear by all that's holy  
I will not give up the fight.  
-The Edge by Michael Card

* * *

**Chapter 2**

_When I opened my eyes, I could only see the lake. The grass and trees surrounding the still water faded off into shadows. Bright, big, yellow and white, stars scattered everywhere in the deep black, reaching higher and higher to distances I couldn't even imagine what lay beyond. The lake reflected it all until I felt I was surrounded only by stars._

_On the edge of the horizon near the RiverClan territory, the moon crested. Completely round, it rose in the sky as a golden eye, huge and lovely and near. It took my breath away. As I stared, the beautiful sight reflected in the water. There were two moons now, as if the sky truly were doubled. For a time the two forms touched and then separated as one golden orb continued its arc in the sky._

_Then just as suddenly as it came, the moon went black. There was nothing. It was gone completely, just an empty starless hole where it once had been. But my confusion grew, for there in the lake, the other moon still was. Full, untouched, perfect. It floated passed the Gathering island, but still the moon in the sky did not return._

_****__-Line-_

I never had prophetic dreams before. I never thought I would. StarClan hadn't communicated with me when I became a medicine cat apprentice and I thought my time would be a quiet one. Until the night Firestar came to visit me. He told me that my Clan was in danger and would be destroyed. There were traitors in all the Clans working for an evil force. Only through me and four warriors could the lake be saved.

He never told me who the warriors that would help were and I spent almost a whole moon before I found them. They were ShadowClan. It took a long time to convince them to help as they didn't trust me and the only one who would, Lakefrost, kept getting punished. And then just a quarter moon ago we went to the Moonpool and spoke to StarClan and discovered what threatened the lake. The Dark Forest. They were coming on the Dark Night and only we knew about it. They were led by Tigerstar and they came for revenge.

Like I said, I didn't have prophetic dreams. But what else could the disappearing moon be? It was a warning. The Dark Night was coming in only two days when the moon was at its fullest and StarClan's power would be gone. I still didn't know who in my Clan was working for the Dark Forest. But I had my suspicions.

I shook myself and tried to get back to work. The storage cleft was so full herbs spilled out and it was duty to sort through it. It d gathered most that whole moon fearful of a battle coming. I had done all this work and now the danger was so close. And no one but Jayfeather and I knew about it. Because of the humidity in the air, especially from the clouds that had stayed almost that entire quarter moon, a few of the herbs were ruined. There was slime on some, mold on others, and a few had dried out and wouldn t have any use.

Jayfeather was trying to help Bumblethroat. The very pale gray tom with black stripes had a runny nose and watering eyes. On occasion a hacking cough burst forth. I thought maybe the tom had whitecough, but it was getting bad fast. Perhaps it would become an early greencough attack on our Clan. Not a good thing to have around camp. It would be better now in greenleaf than in leafbare was the only good thing about it.

"Fawnfur, some catmint please," my mentor called to me.

I nodded though he couldn't see and picked up a few of the sharply sweet tasting leaves between my teeth. I set them on the moss in front of Jayfeather and went back to work without a word. Bumblethroat glared at me as I left. I only bowed my head and turned away. The Clan still didn't trust me. All because of that Owlface and his stories. Most of it wasn't even true! Or maybe it was and he'd just twisted the events. It was hard to be certain anymore. Because there was truth, I had done a few things, but it was to get him to leave me alone!

"Take these and chew them. Swallow all of the juice," Jayfeather instructed. "Then you may go. And don't go into the nursery. You don't want to endanger your kits."

Bumblethroat nodded and did as Jayfeather said. It wasn't long before the warrior left. Jayfeather, a gray tabby tom with blue eyes that didn't see, walked calmly over to me. Bumblethroat s shadow disappeared down the tunnel. I only glanced over but as Jayfeather came over, I turned to him.

"You are worried," he meowed.

"Didn't. . ." _you see?_ died in my throat. I knew he could not. Although I might get away with saying such things when he might snap at other cats for bringing up his blindness, it still felt wrong for me to say. "He glared at me. He hates me. Most cats do now."

If for any reason I wanted the Gathering to come, it was to show ThunderClan just how much I had helped and wasn't a traitor after all.

"Then perhaps we should tell Bramblestar the truth," Jayfeather meowed quietly.

"You said we need all the facts first, that he'd only listen to logic," I reminded him.

"Now is the time. You have everything that StarClan told you."

I nodded. He was right. I knew what would happen now. It was up to me to finally tell Bramblestar. But I was scared. Even Bramblestar didn't trust me. Owlface had spoken with him first and now my leader thought I was only motivated to clear my name and was lying. He thought I'd been in love with Owlface and that now I had my attention on a ShadowClan tom. In fact, in the past my mentor and I had lied to Bramblestar about what I did out late at night. It had been fear of him on my part, and that the tabby leader was in no mood to listen to the truth. Maybe now he would.

Jayfeather led the way from the twilight den. He was the first out of the narrow tunnel and into the quarry. I came quickly after. I stood on the wall of rock, gazing out on the quarry floor. It was abandoned, only a small pile of prey in one corner. The cats were hiding. Bumblethroat had slipped into the warrior den without waiting around.

I looked upward. The sky was hidden behind thick gray clouds. A cold chill was in the air. An occasional wind whipped through the tree leaves and they hissed. I could smell rain on the wind. The birds seemed to know as well, for they were silent.

The gray tom hopped off of the wall and made his way to the Highledge. I stepped down onto the sandy floor and trailed after him. My heart beat in my chest and my ginger-brown fur stood on end. It was time. I looked up the grayish-brown stone. Little cracks split the rock and small ledges, perfect pawholds led the way up to the dark cave above the Highledge. Vines trailed downward from the forest, reaching deep with their thick light green leaves, small flowers curled at the ends.

Jayfeather hurried up without word. I hurried after him and then we stood outside of the leader's den. I sighed deeply, shaking my pelt, trying to find the courage to go in and tell him everything. StarClan didn't really approve of us telling our leaders, but now it was too late. Lakefrost and I could do nothing to stop the Dark Forest on our own. Now the Clans had to defend themselves from the attack. They had to know what would happen.

Jayfeather nodded to me and motioned me to go in first. I reluctantly did. I stepped slowly into the shadow. My eyes adjusted and I could see the dark tabby lying on a nest of moss. His amber eyes turned to us and he waited until I was fully in.

"Yes, Fawnfur? Jayfeather?" he meowed pleasantly. But the corner of his mouth was pulled down and his eyes just narrowed. I could see his tail twitching.

"I need to tell you something," I meowed quickly.

He sat up and licked some of the dust from his thick pelt. "Yes? I would love to hear from you again."

"I wanted to tell you what I've been doing this last moon," I told him.

His eyes opened a bit with interest. "Continue."

"I know I've said before that our Clan will be destroyed. You didn't believe me then. Have you thought on my words?"

"I admit I have," he meowed. His tail twitched side to side and his ears lowered. "But I still cannot believe you. It doesn't make sense at all. You would not tell me why. I still do not feel like listening to this."

"But you have to! Now I can tell you what is really going on. I am not trying to get back at Owlface!"

The leader sniffed. One side of his face lifted.

"Please just listen to my apprentice," Jayfeather finally spoke up. I felt reassured by his calm voice. My heart slowed just a bit.

"I will listen," Bramblestar nodded. "What has happened this moon? What made you and Owlface finally start your own private battle? Made you become loyal to ShadowClan?"

My eyes widened. "It has nothing to do with that," I told him. "The last Gathering I was at camp. Firestar came to me."

Bramblestar's ears rose and he looked at me now, his expression changing from an uninterested frown to something like awe.

"He told me our Clan was in danger. He said that. . ." Now I tried to remember his words without slipping into the past. "He said our Clan would be destroyed. That living cats in the Clans were working with the dead. It was up to me and four others to stop them. He left without telling me more. I had to find the four.

"But they found me. It was Lakefrost. You remember when Pricklethorn caught him and his siblings on our territory? He brought them to camp and Lakefrost had a seizure? Well, Lakefrost recovered with a faulty memory, but it was for show. You let them leave and I went with them. Before crossing the border, he said we had to meet. I didn't want to, but he pleaded and he'd come all the way to ThunderClan just to see me. So we made plans to meet. But that quarter moon he never showed. When he finally did, he couldn't stay long. But he did say StarClan had contacted him and his siblings."

I could see Bramblestar's attention wavering. His head lowered, his eyes almost half closed. I knew I needed to make it quicker and to the point. What it was that we were in danger from.

"Owlface saw us," she said. "He made me promise to stay with him so he wouldn't tell. I had to keep what Lakefrost said a secret because I needed to learn more. So I agreed. You see, I really wanted nothing to do with Owlface. He forced me into it!" "You could have refused and come to me first," Bramblestar said.

"But I was scared you wouldn't listen," I whispered. "That you'd wonder why I had to visit ShadowClan cats and that they were seeing StarClan."

"You're a medicine cat. That happens," he meowed back. "But now you're telling me all this after the fact. I can't believe you now. You've had time to plan what you would say. Is this all?"

He looked like he'd make us leave. I couldn't let him! I hadn't really even told him what was important. I had to hurry.

"I met Lakefrost's siblings. I had to convince them to help, and they did. We all made a plan to meet again. But Owlface saw us again and got you? You remember when you and the patrol came to get me, scared that ShadowClan would attack me?" I could see him nod. That was the day Owlface started his stories. Telling the lies and half truths to Bramblestar and then the whole Clan. "That night was the half moon. We," my tail flicked to Jayfeather. "We tried to tell you then, but you wouldn't listen, convinced I was just telling ShadowClan all of our secrets as Owlface had told you everything. I was too scared to tell you anything.

"We went to the Moonpool after and StarClan wanted to meet with me again the next night with the ShadowClan cats they'd contacted. I met with them and brought them. And on the way I learned about the prophesy StarClan had given them."

I closed my eyes and tried to remember the whole thing so I could tell him. The memory came back briefly. "You must look for the young deer. Only the four and the fawn can stop the evening and the morning from stilling the thunder forever."

I opened my eyes and looked at him. He just blinked back. "So we knew I was the fawn and they were the four. And ThunderClan was going to be destroyed by evening and morning. We weren't certain what that last meant. I'm not sure we still do. It could be names or a time." I shrugged. "We got to the Moonpool and StarClan spoke to us and told us what the threat was.

"It's the Dark Forest," I hissed low.

His eyes widened and he pulled away from us. I watched him stand up and pace.

"StarClan said they would attack us on the Dark Night. Between the evening and the morning. Understand?" I meowed. "It's coming the night of the Gathering. We have to be prepared. You have to tell the Clan what is coming so we can stop it or at least defend ourselves!"

"No, no," he shook his head. He quickly sat down and faced us. "I can't believe you."


	6. Chapter 3: Sunstorm

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin hunter_

_Disclaimer 2: I do not own the song_

_Redfur was his original name, but when you all first got book 1, I had it changed to Firestone. But I prefered the original and changed it back._

I'll drink down death like water  
Before I ever come again  
To that dark place where I might make  
The choice for life to end.  
-The Edge by Michael Card

* * *

**Chapter 3**

The two warrior cats of StarClan lay out in a sunbeam. The night had passed uneasily as they were uncertain where the two kits were hiding. There had been sounds which kept both on edge, unable to sleep, wondering what was going on. But now the sun rose, filtered through the leaves of the tall trees. There was no sound but the usual forest movements. The two warriors curled together, staring at each other as their bodies created a circle, feet touching, tail tips flicking against each other. She felt grateful to be with him again.

"So how did you find me? Why did you leave?"

"When you left that morning, I couldn't get you out of my head," the ginger tom meowed. "I didn't want to wait more than a moon too see you again. So I left the territory to meet you in the Tribe of Endless Hunting. I just got lost on the way is all." He looked sheepishly at her and she just had to laugh.

She leaned in and licked his nose. "Keep going," she encouraged.

"Well, I did," he grinned. "I followed your scent from the lake, but then it disappeared. Since then I've been wandering around trying to find you and get back to StarClan."

She nodded in agreement. She knew what that felt like, having just started that search only two days ago. Of course she'd been sidetracked from the start, but she was glad she had. Redfur had found her because of it.

"It wasn't until about three days ago I woke up in a land of endless sand. I walked, hungry, as I hadn't found food for a long time. Then I found your scent. There was blood near the stream, so I followed it to a forest next to a big lake without a shore. There I saw a tom and made him tell me where you were."

"Forest!" she interrupted, straightening from her curl. Her leg kicked his side and both of them winced. Her foot got twisted last night as still ached.

"That's what I said," he meowed, licking her injured foot.

"No, that's his name," Sunstorm meowed.

"Really? Tell me more."

"When you're done," she promised.

He smiled and said, "I scared him a bit and I guess I was harsh. I feel bad now that I know he was your friend. But he helped me get to you. I just followed the stream like you did, but then your scent left the water's edge. I was scared I would lose you again. Then I realized your scent was everywhere, as if you were lost or just recklessly ambling on. I had a confusing time trying to narrow down where exactly you were. And the rest you know."

She nodded. Then he'd rescued her from two murderous kits last night. Kits who seemed cheerful and only wanted to play, but tried to keep her captive for the rest of eternity as their playmate. She wasn't sure she could die again, but it hadn't been worth the chance. After all, she'd heard them say "others". She shivered and curled up tighter against the ginger tom. He licked her head and gave a sympathetic blink.

"What about you?" Redfur asked. "We aren't in the Tribe of Endless Hunting. This doesn't look like mountains to me."

He stared at round the green forest. Tall trunks reached skyward, wide leaves blocking the sun light from descending straight down. Thick corded vines wrapped their way down the ragged bark to the ground where ferns, bushes, weeds, and flowers grew between the tree trunks. Patches of hard dirt scattered through the undergrowth where cat-made trails wove their way through the forest. The two lay in a clearing away from the undergrowth and in the brightest place they could find so they'd be able to see any advancing threat.

"Where is Feathertail?" Redfur asked.

Sunstorm thought about the former of RiverClan warrior. The gray she-cat had led her from StarClan to the Tribe. Sunstorm had insisted a lot to get Feathertail to agree to take her away from the starry lake.

"Still with the Tribe," she meowed. "I've been separated from her for a while. The Tribe had some problems with a giant hawk. It was stealing their Clanmates. Well a few of us went up to a high peak to rescue one cat, but the hawk attacked. And I fell off of the mountain. I fell into water and it carried me all the way to the sun-drown-place."

He blinked that he understood.

"Then I woke up bleeding and made my way from the water's edge to the black forest."

His eyes widened and he stared at her, the fur along his spine raising. "The black forest? You mean the Dark Forest?" he hissed.

"No," she shook her head. "That forest that you found the yellow-ginger tom in. It is completely black in the daylight. It isn't the Dark Forest at all. Well, I met him and his mate. They're having troubles," no need to tell him exactly what. It was confusing and annoying even to her. "I tried to help him and Hawthorn, but got nowhere. So I left. I walked here, met the kits, played with them and then ran when they tried to kill me. Thank you again for saving me."

"Well, I prefer talking to you after all," he purred.

She laughed.

"Now we'll go back to StarClan together," he meowed.

"Yes," she agreed. "It might take a while, but we'll make it."

_**-Line-**_

After sharing their stories, the two got up from the clearing and went hunting. Unwilling to let Redfur from her sight, Sunstorm followed after him, limping a bit on her back paw. She'd tripped over a root last night and her foot still hurt. She still had some injuries from her fall off of the mountain as well, but those were starting to heal, her claws starting to grow long again.

Redfur glanced back, making sure she was with him, and guided her through the forest. The calls of birds echoed around them. The bushes rattled in the passing of mice and squirrels. A dove cooed. Her ears twitched, recalling the sound.

_"When will you come after us?"  
_  
_"When the next dove coos."_

So started her game with the little kits and the tortoiseshell she-kit claiming her brother was the best tracker and she'd better hide in a good place. Sunstorm shivered at the thought. She'd underestimated the two. They'd been around for a long time. They only looked and behaved like kits on occasion, but they must have been dead longer than her. They had the muscles of a trained warrior and the seriousness of an elder when the mood took them.

Something fell down from above. The shadow drifted across her face and she flinched. But when she opened her eyes a green leaf softly settled on the ground in front of her.

"You all right?" Redfur asked, hurrying to be by her side.

She stared at him, her eyes wide and heart beating. "Yeah. I just got startled. I thought it was them again."

He stared at the leaf and then back at her, glancing around. She let her eyes rove over the trees, trying to pierce through the thick shadows, searching for any cat eyes.

"I first saw them when the tom fell from a tree in front of me," she explained, not wanting to sound crazy. "I thought maybe they'd come back."

"I don't know if they will," he told her, brushing his head against the side of her face in comfort. "I scared them last night. I doubt they'd attack two fully grown cats. One they might be able to take down, but two? Not a chance."

"Yes," she agreed quietly, but doubtful. They couldn't have just given up like that? Redfur might have scared them, but once they got back their courage, wouldn't the kits return, eager for revenge? Why else had they not slept very well last night?

"Let's keep going," he meowed. "The sooner we're out of this part of the forest, the better." He shivered. "What are you in the mood for? Squirrel or mouse?"

"No rabbit?" she teased, picking up her feet so she trotted forward. She flicked her tail playfully, trying to block the uneasy feeling that they were being watched.

"I don't think we'll find many in here," he purred, hurrying after her. "But I sure wish there was one."

She laughed. "You poor WindClan tom. These trees must bother you!"

He laughed back. "No. I got used to them in StarClan. In fact I like having some trees nearby, but my first love will always be moorland."

"Not me?" she gasped, mocking him.

He paused, one paw in the air and tilted his head to look at her. She ducked her head, feeling her ears burn. She hadn't quite meant to say that. What would he think of her? She couldn't just admit she felt some admiration for the tom. She'd been drawn to him from the first time she met him, but not until he came looking for her had she realized how deeply she might care for him or he for her. She'd feel embarrassed if she was wrong and he just wanted to make sure she was okay.

"No. I'll never love anything as much as I do you," he meowed. He stepped forward and licked one of her warm ears.

She smiled at him, feeling her heart swell and beat rapidly.

The bushes shook, sending Sunstorm jumping away from the ginger tom. She stared as a kit raced for them. The tortoiseshell stared at them with wild eyes. Her lips pulled back, exposing her sharp white teeth. Her claws were out and she used them, reaching up to slash Redfur's face. He just stood there, startled as he was attacked. Only when the pain got to him did he yell a war cry, flinging out one paw to catch the kit. But he missed. She raced on, leaping for the undergrowth on the other side of the trail.

Redfur growled and leapt after her, disappearing behind the ferns. Sunstorm remained on the dirt path and stared after them. She could still hear the WindClan warrior yelling, crashing through the undergrowth like a new apprentice. She was alone.

Her pelt prickled as she realized they'd fallen into the kits' trap. There was no sound at all. Even the birds had stopped singing. She glanced around, searching for the other kit. Now that they were split it was one-on-one. She didn't see him until it was too late. Down he fell from above. His legs spread out, claws reaching, his eyes dilated to nearly black. The shadow of his passing blocked out the sun for an instant.

She looked up and he crashed down on her. She yowled, stumbling back. He bit in, catching the skin above her eye. She lowered her head and shook, trying to pull him off with her claws. He put all of his weight on her, his back legs off of the ground as they tore into her chest. His front claws grasped the side of her head, pinning down her ears.

She couldn't breathe, her nose buried in his thick dark brown fur. She yowled again, but the sound was muffled by his pelt. She couldn't even see, only squinting her eyes. The ginger-brown tabby shook her head again and leaned downward, pressing him into the dirt and rubbing. He just dragged his right paw down her face and she pulled up in shock, backing away only to bump into a tree.

She reared up, but fell back down, overbalanced and unable to stand only on her back legs as one was still sore. The kit clung on like an overgrown tick, refusing to move, not even uttering a sound. He continued to tear, bringing his teeth back into play as he nipped at her one lifted ear.

Sunstorm swung her head, making him crash into the bark of the tree. The breath went out of him and for a moment his hold loosened. It was enough for her to pull him off. Her claws dug into his belly, holding him on the ground as she stared down into his yellow eyes.

He glared defiantly back, hissing and baring his teeth. Red dripped from his jaws. Sunstorm suddenly felt the stinging. Blood trickled down from above her eye.

"I don't kill kits," she growled. "So what do I do with you?"

"I don't care who you kill or do not," he hissed back. "But you are dead! We will not let another cat leave us!"

"That isn't your choice to make," she meowed, pushing down harder until her claws pierced his pelt.

He winced and blood leaked around her claws.

She heard movement. One ear flicked up and then the other until her whole head looked toward the undergrowth. The ferns moved, jerking sharply. A ginger shape pushed through. Redfur came back; face bleeding lightly where the tortoiseshell had struck him. He panted, staring at her.

Pain shot up her leg and she yowled, drawing back. The tom opened his mouth and released her leg, turning over and racing away for a nearby gorse bush. He disappeared in the thorns. Redfur just watched him go. Sunstorm spat and started licking her wounded leg. She wouldn't follow the brat either. Not to get torn up. Only a kit could fit through the small gaps of a gorse bush.

"I'm sorry," Redfur meowed, quickly walking over to her. He started cleaning her ear, gently licking away the blood. "I shouldn't have gone after her."

"They're smart these two," Sunstorm sighed. "It's just hard to believe kits could do this, that's why we keep underestimating them."

Redfur nodded. "I didn't even catch her. She led me on a tangled chase until I realized I'd left you. She knew exactly where she was going, every dip and bush." He shook his head.

"Let's get out of here," Sunstorm whispered.

He nodded and led the way down the rest of the trail. Sunstorm suddenly didn't want to be on it. The kits had made these paths from constant use. The two knew exactly where each one would lead and where to place another ambush. She quickly left the dirt and Redfur followed. Though he didn't walk very elegantly through the thick undergrowth, he managed to keep up and keep going.

It wasn't long before the sounds of rustling crept after them. Sunstorm flicked her ears back and glanced at Redfur. He nodded. The kits were back. The movement caught up to them. When Sunstorm looked to either side, she could see the kits there, jumping along, hurrying to stay by their side. It was like an escort. The shadowed forms kept pace with them. Just in sight, but just out of reach.

"You won't escape," a whispered hiss echoed to her.

"You don't know the way out," the other kit continued.

"Quiet," she growled back.

They giggled, glancing at her with unblinking eyes as they padded forward.

Redfur just growled. The fur along his spine rose. This time however, he didn't run after them.

The four continued walking along for a while. Then the kits suddenly disappeared. Sunstorm knew it wasn't over. They had something else in mind. She was right, because the next instant the kits came back. The two ran like streaks of shadow. The tortoiseshell darted around Sunstorm, drawing her sharp claws along the tabby's legs. She tried striking, but the kit was just too quick and small.

Redfur gave an irritated growl and Sunstorm had a feeling the tom had received the same treatment from the kit's brother. The two young cats were gone the next instant, disappeared into the undergrowth. The weeds waved as they traveled away.

"They're just too quick," Redfur muttered, hurrying until he was by Sunstorm's side.

"They're smart," she meowed back. "They know they can't beat us in a fair fight. So they'll use sneak attacks. They want to break us apart again. Keep watch. Next time get against my back and we'll defend from either side."

"Unless they come from above," he nodded skyward.

She glanced up as well. "Unless then," she agreed. "We better get out of this territory before nightfall. I don't want to spend another night with these two."

He nodded in agreement.

The StarClan cats hurried along. Although hungry, they wouldn't stop to hunt. Leaving behind the kits was priority.

The next attack came and was similar to the last. But when the kits saw Redfur and Sunstorm facing either way and were unable to get between them, they backed away into the ferns, glaring.

"How could these two get this way?" Sunstorm asked. "I thought only good cats got to go to StarClan."

"We're not in StarClan anymore," he answered.

"You know what I mean," she snapped. She felt irritated that they couldn't get rid of the two and that made her short tempered. "Don't all bad cats go to the Dark Forest?"

Redfur was silent. She glanced over at him. Maybe he didn't know.

"I don't think they started out bad," he finally answered. "Kits rarely are evil. So I think being alone so long they forgot themselves."

"Why didn't they fade?" she demanded. "I've seen other cats fade away."

He only shrugged.

"They must have been abandoned by so many cats," Sunstorm spoke out loud. "Maybe they asked everyone to play but too many cats refused. And then one day they decided they'd make cats stay by threatening them."

"It makes sense," he agreed.

"But it's not going to help us now," she growled.

Her ears flicked as pawsteps sounded around them. The kits were back. She glanced for them, waiting to see the movement in the nearby bushes. The sound faded off.

"They're ahead," he growled.

She looked up and saw the two. One had started climbing a tree trunk, clinging to the bark and pulling up.

"We'll avoid them," she meowed. "No reason to go to their trap willingly."

She started away, walking between two narrow trees.

"Wait," Redfur meowed. "We have to end this."

"How?" she asked, staring back at him.

"I've got an idea," he replied, blinking slowly. He waved a tail and she returned to his side.


	7. Chapter 4: Lakefrost

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter_

_Thanks to reviewers: _Darkness of the Eclipse, Silentlight, QK Ninja, Bluecloud, _and_ Chat et Chocolate

_You know, I didn't think all three characters would have to deal with two kits at the exact same time. I didn't plan that at all. And now, it seems confusing. But, I guess we'll go with it. That's a lot of kit endangerment for you! Although not as much as I'd hoped for. Well, there's always the next Lakefrost chapter!_

_To _Bluecloud_: Summerheat Camp is just another Clan in another forest I created. There is a story on that if you want to check it out. And I just had Leafpool banished because I felt like it and I didn't know she was actually staying in the Clans for Omen of the Stars._

_So I just thought of something. What if Hollyleaf, from Sunrise, actually planned to disappear like that? What if she wanted the tunnel to collapse so she could leave? Of course, I suppose she coudn't plan the earthquake, but maybe that was just luck. Maybe she loosened the tunnel sides and then was going to make it fall so she could hide, but the earthquake came and helped her. So sorry if I'm rambling. On with the story._

* * *

**Chapter 4**

Three gray and jagged boulders encircled a black hole in the ground. The tunnel sloped into the ground and a few tail lengths inside, deep shadow hid the rest from view. It was small, only a tail length a cross, perfect for two young kits to disappear into. More difficult for warriors to enter. The top looked low. Anycat would have to crawl inside the tight space.

Three cats stood before the open pit, peering between the gaps in the boulders. One was a gray tabby, the other a ginger she-cat, and the last their sister, a golden she-cat. Since that sunhigh the three and their Clan had been searching for the missing kits. Pinekit and Chestnutkit had taken it into their heads to go on an adventure while their mother slept. When she awoke, she was terrified and worried. Fallingstar sent everyone out to find the kits and stop them from crossing the borders or getting caught by a fox or badger. This perhaps was one thing she didn't believe would occur. That they might find some sort of tunnel in the earth.

Lakefrost shook his head. It was probably just a fox burrow. In fact he could smell some faint fox, but not too much as if the creature hadn't been back for a time. The kits weren't in danger from that. It would be a simple job. Just get the kits out from beneath and bring them home before the rain fell.

"Pinekit! Chestnutkit!" he yowled. He peered inside as much as he could, but it wasn't far. He noticed that his voice didn't echo back to him. His ears twitched and his eyes narrowed. He couldn't even hear movement. That meant the kits weren't just hiding from him and playing a game. This 'burrow' was deeper than he thought.

"We need to go in there," Lakefrost meowed. "They couldn't have gotten far now. We can't waste anymore time."

"Right," Honeybee nodded from behind her siblings. She shook and fluffed up her thick golden pelt as a quick wind blew the cold into her. A few drops of rain darkened her fur. Above, the clouds continued to sink, barely holding back a torrent.

"No," Mallowstalk moaned. The ginger's eyes were wide, gazing at the hole. Her fur was on end, but not to protect herself against the wind. A sickly smell of terror started to coat the air. Lakefrost's own body started to respond and he brought his claws out.

"What?" he meowed, looking at her.

"I can't," Mallowstalk whispered. "I can't go in there." She turned to him. "I won't! It's dark, too close." She started to pant, her eyes staring through him.

Her fear was making him anxious as if she knew something he didn't. He swallowed and told himself it was silly. There was nothing wrong down there. It was just a tunnel, no fox, no badger. He sniffed. No snake either. Just the smell of the two kits.

"Then you find Fallingstar and the others," he meowed. "Tell them where we are."

Her tense body relaxed and an easier look crossed her face. She nodded. He had no doubt she'd find the rest of the Clan and warn them. Help would be nice. He nodded to her and jumped through the gap. It was a bit darker on that side of the boulders and he stood still while his eyes adjusted.

The dirt crumbled underfoot.

He quickly tried to back up, but the ground kept slipping for the hole. With a yowl and a backwards hop, he tried to get away, but he only crashed into Honeybee. Mallowstalk had given room so their sister could get through. Honeybee jumped in without waiting or seeing if it was safe. The ground collapsed beneath them, enlarging the tunnel entrance.

Lakefrost peered under golden fur. His chin was buried in the loose soil, a thin blade of grass tickling his nose. His legs were folded beneath him and his hind end elevated by the uneven ground. It felt cold and loose. He pushed upward and Honeybee got off. She stood above him now. Her front legs on the upper ground and her lower legs still in the dip with him. She stared down at him in surprise.  
Mallowstalk even peered at the gap through them but he waved her away with his tail. She had to find the others.

"Let's go," he grunted.

He rose off of the ground, but not to far. He still had to fit inside the tunnel after all. He stepped underneath the dirt. Pieces dripped down on him, sliding off his back as he went farther in. Immediately the air stilled around him, but gusts pushed from behind until Honeybee entered. The ground smelled of old things. Damp, forgotten. Little roots poked out around him and to one side was the gray base of one of the boulders. He couldn't quite see. It was all dark. But the lighter forms stood out for a few steps and then he knew what was there by touch. Roots snagged at his sides, streaking down his fur. His whiskers brushed the tunnel rim. At the tip of his tail the warm breath of his sister and the tickling of her whiskers reminded him that he was followed.

The tunnel continued downward, like any burrow, but instead of getting wider, the sides got smaller. His steps became closer and slower. His legs ached. As the tunnel curved, he went with it, careful not to bump his head. Now there was only blackness. The dirt got harder, compact, pieces of chipped gravel bit into his pads. And there was moss. Imagine, moss under the ground! It became thicker where the tunnel evened out and there was hardly any slope.

He could hear his sister's breath. It grew rapid and even once she stopped. She squeaked and pulled back. He could hear her head thump against the tunnel ceiling. Dirt fell around them.

"What is it?" His voice echoed back to him, sounding thick.

"Can't you hear it?"

His stilled his own jagged breath and opened his ears wider. They flicked slowly. There was nothing. Just a hollow sound everywhere. Maybe there was a pattering noise. It was dull and didn't sound near. Rain? That wasn't anything to get her attention.

"What? I don't hear anything."

"There is something in the tunnel!" Her voice was a quiet hiss. "I can hear pawsteps. Another cat breathing. And I can catch a glimpse of lighter fur just ahead, or just behind. And they're speaking. I can hardly hear them. Their whispers fade."

Lakefrost swallowed. The fur on his spine rose and his heartbeat picked up. "You probably just hear the kits. And you can't be seeing another cat. It's too dark here. It's just a, ah, hallucination, um you just wish you could see. Don't worry."

He tried to sound relaxed and unconcerned but his voice trailed off. He could hear his sister, her breathing loud and steady.

"But it's not," she said.

"Let's keep going." He spoke over her and started walking ahead. He heard her rapid pawsteps come after him and then she was on his tail. She walked so close next to him, huddling by his side, still hearing and seeing what he could not.

"What do you think would happen to a cat that died away from the stars?" she whispered.

"Not possible," he told her. The tunnel widened and he stood up straighter. He flexed his legs and sighed.

"Well, we're here aren't we?" she meowed, standing beside him.

He noticed that it was no longer a tunnel they were in, but something like a chamber. The ceiling was still low, but the walls not so close. He couldn't quiet see it, but he could hear it. The far away sides not bouncing his words back at him, more air that was colder.

"What if cats' spirits are trapped down below?"

"Please, stop."

She closed her mouth and lowered her head. Now that he noticed, he realized he could see her, but she was little more than a dark form in a dark place. He blinked and looked around. "Can you see the light?"

"Yes," her quavering mew replied. "There's more over there."

Her tail flicked, a quick slash. He looked around and realized there was more light from one direction. He hurried over. As he walked, he felt the ground rise and he soon had to duck again. But as his ears came down, little droplets of water trickled down through his tabby fur. The ground felt more than damp now.

He reached the light. A small opening in the wall. He peered through, his eyes taking in something different from before. Above, higher than his head, a crack let in the sky. There was gray everywhere above in that jagged line. Thick roots pierced through, lining the cavern's ceiling and holding it up. Thin streams of water came down through, dripping down the roots and the walls.

"The kits," Honeybee meowed.

Lakefrost looked down. Far below, hardly visible, two shapes jumped around, tackling each other and then racing away. They played on a small raised ledge. Below them, a river ran as a black streak with ribbons of silver slashing through just to disappear again. One large tunnel spat out the rushing water, while another, no less wide and just as smooth, accepted the gift. The kits played above both, perhaps not aware it was there.

"How do we get down?" Lakefrost meowed. He stared at the wall and ground below them. The side was too steep, too slick and not a big enough root or ledge anywhere near for them to rest on. It would be impossible just to jump down and rescue the two.

"We have to go back." Honeybee jerked her head to the tunnel behind them. "The kits made it that far the same way."

He nodded, knowing she was right. The tunnel went on, perhaps to an easier access into the cavern, but it was hard to turn away from the kits now and head back into the dark. He wasn't sure if he called down they would hear him. Or if they'd respond. Perhaps they'd even run away, scared about being caught and punished. Before he turned away, he glanced once more at the wide chamber with the crack to the sky.

He saw sudden movement below. He froze, eyes locked. He spat a quiet hiss, drawing Honeybee back. She peered through the opening and gasped. On the same side of the gap as them there was a ledge. Two cats stood on it and a third's body disappeared into a tunnel Lakefrost hadn't seen before. He stared down, wondering who it was. He didn't recognize them as he stared at their backs. He could hardly make out their colors and just a faint hint of smell rose up to him.

"Timberleaf," one meowed. "What do we do? Whose are they?"

"Not our own," Timberleaf replied. "They aren't apprentices either."

The voices weren't so easy to hear, but it was enough. Certainly the kits didn't hear as they kept tumbling. Their echoed cries of a battle or directions came faintly to him. Lakefrost looked back down.

"Do we get them?" meowed the third cat, a tom.

For a time the patrol leader was still. Timberleaf's tail flicked, yellow eyes shifting. "No," was the meow.

Honeybee gasped. Lakefrost backed away, pushing his sister with him. He stared at her and she shut her mouth, sitting down. Her eyes blinked apologetically. He slowly leaned back over. The other cats, WindClan ( he could now tell by the scent of heather and rabbit), didn't look up. They must not have heard her. The patrol leader was still talking.

"-raising the water. If they can make it out before, then so be it. If not, we don't need our rivals knowing about these caves."

The WindClan patrol nodded. The tom was the first to turn away and then the she-cat, and finally Timberleaf. Lakefrost glared down at the gray's head. They were just letting the kits die! He stared at Honeybee, his eyes glaring. She sat half within the dark, just gazing back at him with wide eyes, her ears half down.

"That's what they said," she whispered. "That's what the voices were saying!"

"What are you talking about?" he demanded.

"The voice in the tunnel said the water would rise! The rain is doing it. The tunnels will flood and if we don't get out we're going to die!"


	8. Chapter 5: Fawnfur

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter_

* * *

**Chapter 5**

"No, no," Bramblestar shook his head. "I can't believe you."

"But the Dark Forest is-"

"The place where dead cats go that aren't worthy to enter StarClan," he interrupted me, staring at me with wide amber eyes. "I know it."

"But . . . how?" I meowed. I was aware StarClan didn't want the Place-of-No-Stars general knowledge. They wanted it that way to preserve their 'balance', but it seemed as if my leader already knew. Had something happened I wasn't aware of? Had I missed something? Had they spoken with him after all?

"Does it matter how?" he meowed. He sighed and closed his eyes as if he would never open them again. He sat so still for a long time, head bowed, ears down. It was dark inside the leader's den and not much better outside. "But I cannot believe you. They could not destroy our Clan. They are dead!"

"You have spoken with them before," Jayfeather meowed calmly.

Bramblestar's head jerked up and he stared at Jayfeather with widening eyes. My mentor had been quiet during my tale, letting me take control. It seemed now he would speak up for me. I was glad to have him with me and I realized he could help verify my story. I looked over at him when he spoke. The tom sat staring straight ahead like usual, but his ears were halfway down.

A low hiss started from Bramblestar. "You've been stealing it from my mind!" I flinched and then watched as my leader tensed up, his teeth bared. "All this is lies. You are only telling me what I would believe. Things only I would understand and other cats would not."

I had no idea what he was talking about.

"Leave now," he growled at us, taking a step forward. "Get out of my den and take your tales with you!"

"Come on," Jayfeather meowed quietly into my ear. I stood up quickly and backed away. Bramblestar stared after us with his wide eyes. We left the den. Outside a few drops of rain hit the ground, round dark splatters in the sand.

"What was he talking about?" I demanded, looking back over my shoulder when we reached the quarry floor. I could see him there, half hidden in the shadow, looking out at us, his eyes wild. It made me nervous like never before. What had happened to my leader?

Jayfeather glanced back up as well, but I knew his eyes couldn't see Bramblestar. He was possibly only reading the tabby tom's thoughts.

"He's been contacted by the Dark Forest before," Jayfeather told me quietly. "He knows about it. It was his father."

I blinked. "Tigerstar?"

Jayfeather nodded. "I'm sure you could_ See _it if you wished, how the two met and spoke. But I. . . from what I'm hearing from Bramblestar, it was a dark time for him. He almost murdered. . . for the Dark Forest. In the end, he killed his brother. Hearing you say the Dark Forest had agents must have affected him. Reminded him that he once worked for them. He thinks I've told you everything and that you're saying things just to make him believe you. I'm afraid we've pushed him further away."

"But I'm telling the truth!"

"I know it."

"How does he know about your power?" I asked as we started for the medicine cat den.

"One time, he and Firestar figured it out," Jayfeather told me. "Lionblaze, Dovetooth, and I have never specifically told him our talents. But he knows."

I shivered at the thought. Someone else who knew my powers and fear them. It seemed this knowledge was driving our leader to madness.

"What do we do now?" I meowed quietly.

"You have to tell the Clan," he replied.

"But they won't believe me either! And he'll just tell them I'm lying. They'll never ever listen to me after that."

"Then your only course is to tell everyone at the Gathering, and hope your four friends will be there to back you up. And you better pray it isn't too late, that you can tell everyone before the Dark Forest attacks. It will be the Clans' one and only chance."

_**-Line-**_

I quickly came up the sloping ledge, prey in my mouth. I could see Jayfeather sitting by the pool on our mossy nests. We were going to share prey, going to wait out the storm together while we planned what we were going to do now that Bramblestar would never believe me. I set a mouse by my mentor s side and then went to the storage cleft to look for chamomile and thyme. I had a feeling that Bramblestar should have some herbs to calm him down. I was wondering who we could get to take it to him and make sure it ate it. Our leader might be suspicious of us now and claim we were trying to kill him. What would the Clan think then?

"That is a good idea," Jayfeather meowed. "Perhaps if Squirrelflight or Cinderheart took it."

I nodded, and pushed away a pile of borage leaves. Suddenly I could hear frantic pawsteps and ragged breathing. I paused and turned to look as a black she-cat with creamy-white vertical stripes down her back legs hurried away from the light and into the darkness of our den. I could smell her even over the herbs, as Jayfeather was likely doing to identify Lightningwhisker. The queen stopped in front of Jayfeather, chest heaving, her eyes white rimmed.

"Please come," she meowed. "My kits. They're coughing and I don't think Graykit is breathing!"

"Fawnfur!" he meowed.

I was already digging through the piles for what we needed. Catmint, feverfew, coltsfoot, and perhaps juniper for the breathing. Jayfeather didn't even see what I'd gathered. He raced out of the den, letting Lightningwhisker lead him to the nursery, all the while asking more about what she'd noticed. Their voices faded away. I couldn't hear them anymore and though I tried, I realized I could only hear the sound of falling rain. It pittered and pattered on the sandy floor, falling softly and thinly for now.

When I was finished and had the supplies tucked in a leaf, I came after the two. Outside a cold wind stirred in the quarry. The rain had coated the ground in mud. I spotted some cats peering out from the dens. Hopping down, I wrinkled my nose. The rain covered my back, darkening my ginger-brown tabby fur. My ears got soaked and the tips dripped. Water ran down my chin and I breathed swiftly out to get it out of my nose. I ducked my head to protect the leaf and supplies and continued. The mud underfoot and clung to my paws.

I approached the wall on the other side of camp and hopped up to the thick bramble and gorse bush. Bumblethroat, Lightningwhisker's mate sat just outside. He glared at me and then started coughing. I tried to ignore him while I shook off just outside the entrance and ducked inside. I felt some resentment toward the light gray tom. He'd given his kits the same cough and it was much worse for them.

"Fawnfur," Jayfeather meowed, turning to me, "Do you have coltsfoot?"

I nodded and set down the leaf packet. Out rolled the supplies onto the soft and mossy nest. Jayfeather quickly sorted through, identifying by smell and feel. I looked around. The rain failed to leak into the thick and comfortable nursery. It was dark inside and warm. Only Lightningwhisker crouched inside by her two kits: Blackkit, a black she-cat with white chest and paws, and Graykit a gray tom with dark gray stripes. The later was so still, laying on his side, legs splayed as if he'd collapsed. His sister sat huddled beside her mother, wheezing and coughing. She looked at me through her streaming eyes.

I blinked back, trying to be reassuring. I knew these kits well. They'd often been sickly since their birth, but now seemed the worst.

"I'll help Blackkit," I told Lightningwhisker. I started to walk forward, but she hissed at me. I stopped and stared at her.

"Just stay away," the queen growled at me. "It's because of you they're sick!"

"Wha-"

"StarClan is punishing us because of you!" Lightningwhisker snarled. "You've turned traitor with a ShadowClan tom!"

"Quiet!" Jayfeather turned on her. His blue eyes burned, staring through her.

The black queen backed away, seeming to shrink before my eyes. Even the kit looked frightened. Her streaming eyes blinked and she whimpered before hacking out a cough.

"Fawnfur is no traitor!" my mentor hissed. "Now please let her help Blackkit. I'm busy with Graykit and your daughter needs help. If you stop my apprentice, I will have you removed."

Lightningwhisker glared but bowed her head, her ears folding down. "Fine," she spat.

I cautiously I walked forward, my eyes darting between her and my mentor. He turned his back on us, working on Graykit. His paw rubbed the kit's chest and then patted. Jayfeather chewed the coltsfoot in his mouth and licked it onto Graykit's nose. But the kit didn't respond. I blinked and looked away, concentrating on my own charge. I leaned down and sniffed Blackkit. Her mother watched as I cleaned away the tears and snot. I could feel her glaring eyes and tried not to be bothered.

Lightningwhisker glared at me the whole time and I felt uneasy. It made it hard for me to concentrate and I wanted to look like I was doing a good job. I never looked away from Blackkit. Neither did Lightningwhisker. She hunched over like a hawk on a branch, judging my every move until I felt like one mistake would be my end. When I was finally finished, Blackkit was breathing easier. She lowered her head and went to sleep. Then I looked at my mentor. He sat, watching us. His tail wrapped around the body of Graykit. From the look on his face, I knew it was over.

"Lightningwhisker," he meowed.

She stared at him and then at the kit by his feet. She moaned and hurried over. Jayfeather backed away and let her nuzzle her dead son. I could hear her whispering, but could not make out the words.

"I am sorry," he told her quietly. She didn't reply. He waved his tail at me and I quickly hurried out of the nursery, picking up the remaining supplies as we left. The rain poured down around us. Thick, pounding, unrelenting. I was soaking before we started down the quarry side. The slick stone was hard for me to maintain a grip. I almost fell.

"You shouldn't be out in the rain," Jayfeather meowed. I looked up and noticed Bumblethroat still standing there. He was completely drenched, his fur flat and dripping where he huddled against the bush side. "You make your own illness worse."

"What about my kits?"

"Graykit is gone."

The gray tom looked as if he might rush into the nursery, but Jayfeather held him back. "I know you want to see them, but I can't allow it. You would endanger your last kit even more. Go to the warrior den and clean off all the water. Try to stay dry. When the rain stops, send someone to take the body. You can go to his burial."

My mentor jumped off of the ledge and started for the medicine cat den. I started to follow him across the thick mud. Bumblethroat thudded behind me. I looked back. He seemed miserable. His ears lowered by more than water, his eyes were dull and his tail dragged. I stopped, wanting to comfort him. I placed the leaf on the ground and waited for him to reach me.

He noticed my presence and his head rose marginally. Eyes narrowed, he bared his teeth at me. I swallowed and suddenly realized this wasn't a good idea. He didn't want my comfort.

"You," he hissed low. "It's your fault my Graykit is dead. You did nothing to help him."

"I could do nothing," I told him, sitting straight. "Jayfeather did his best, but your kit is with StarClan."

"It is only because of you all this is happening," he meowed as if he hadn't heard me. "You and Owlface. You've caused our problems."

I looked around, hoping Jayfeather was near, but my mentor's tail disappeared into the gloom of our den. He hadn't even realized I had stayed behind. I started to leave Bumblethroat, not wanting to be near him now. He blocked my path, not letting me near my den.

"Get out of this camp," he hissed. "I don't ever want to see you here. Because if I do, I won't care if you're a medicine cat."

My heart beat fast. His yellow eyes started into mine with a cold fire. He was serious. I knew I wasn't at fault, but there was nothing I could do. No way could I convince him. I could only wait for him to see reason. That when he understood and accepted his son's death, he would see how foolish he was being. I swallowed and nodded. I looked around the camp. Through the rain, I could see their eyes staring down at me. Lightningwhisker from the nursery, Owlface from the warrior den. I thought there were others, but none of them stopped this. None of them walked out and made Bumblethroat leave me. They wanted me out as well. They didn't want me in their Clan. I turned away, not going to the medicine cat den, but for the gorse entrance of ThunderClan. I was headed out into the forest.


	9. Chapter 6: Sunstorm

__

Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter

Thanks to reviewers: Darkness of the Eclipse and_ Chat et Chocolate_

_I meant to post this all earlier so when the night of the full moon came to us, it would be the Gathering in my story. But I was lazy, so this is all going to be late, and November was such a good month to have it. Because there were two full moons. The 20th and 21st, tonight. And next month December 21st there is something special going to happen!_

_Anyway, these two evil kits, they are as Redur and Sunstorm said: They died very young and they woke up in the skies. They got lonely and any cat they found and played with, wouldn't stay. They were always left alone. So the two wanted to keep cats to stay with them and play. So they threatened cats. Have they really killed others? Well, I'll leave that up to you to decide. . . And they don't really have names. They were too young to get them and I thought they'd be a bit more eerie without names. With names, they're more personal._

* * *

**Chapter 6**

Sunstorm looked up. The shadows of the branches and leaves leaned down on her and through them she could see the bright sky. A few clouds travelled over head, but not thickly at all. On occasion they'd block the sun, sending the forest below into shadows. Lush undergrowth filled in the gaps between the variety of trees. The broad green leaves fluttered above, perhaps feeling a slight breeze. Or maybe something was hiding within the branches. Squirrels and birds would have been the likely choice, but Sunstorm knew better.

Not a bird sang near them, though in the distance she could hear a dove cooing. Squirrels did not chitter or run on the ground in search of nuts. No, there was something else in the treetops. Someone else. Someone with revenge in their small heart.

"Do you understand the plan?" Redfur meowed.

She turned to the ginger tom and nodded. "I know. Walk forward as if we don't know they're there and then scare the little fox-hearts witless!"

Perhaps it was mean to talk about kits like that, but she knew better. The two might look like kits, but they were older than her. They played and teased each other, and then any cat who came along, but once that cat was in their trap, they'd never release her. The same had almost happened to Sunstorm until Redfur came. But now the kits were hunting them. They were determined to see the StarClan warriors die although they were already dead. She still couldn't figure that one out, but something about their threat chilled her. She might be dead, but bad things could still happen to her.

"Right," he nodded to her. "We'll go forward. But wait until the one hiding in the bushes comes."

"I think she'll be first, trying to drive us under his attack," Sunstorm meowed. "We have to wait until he's falling down."

Redfur thought about that, tilting his head to one side. Finally he nodded. Then he led the way back to the two trees. Not much time had passed since they saw the little dark brown tom climbing skyward on the thick bark. The she-kit tortoiseshell had hidden elsewhere, preparing an ambush. Sunstorm had wanted to avoid them, but Redfur had other ideas and she approved. She didn't want to constantly run from them, scared. She wanted to warn them off, say that she wasn't some easy prey and they'd better learn to respect her. She made her own decisions. They'd never force her into staying with them.

A low lying fern brushed against Redfur's ginger fur. It stroked downward and started bobbing until she reached it and had the same treatment. Once passed that, she could see the large tree. The kits were nowhere in sight. But she could smell them. It was their territory this forest. They knew it well.

"Just walk," he murmured back at her. "Don't act suspicious."

"Well that would just be mouse-brained," she hissed back. "We know they're out there, of course we have to be cautious!"

His ears lowered and he nodded. She could tell by his stiff walk that she had embarrassed him. She looked down, her own ears flattening. That had been rude of her. She quickly walked forward and matched him step for step, despite her limping back paw. She nudged him. He glanced back up at her, his golden eyes wide. She smiled at him about to speak.

"Yeeee ahhhh," a voice, thin and reedy yowled behind them. "GRRRRR!"

Sunstorm flinched, her heart racing. She glanced behind. A stinging pain slid down her left leg and she scrambled forward away. The bushes and grass stems shook behind her as the she-kit forced her way through, yowling and growling. The kit was unafraid to use her claws, striking both Redfur and Sunstorm. She didn't want to stand and argue and hurried forward, the ginger tom by her side. He winced and trotted forward away from the she-kit. They reached the low bows where the brother had hidden.

Down he fell, silent as before. She would have missed him if she didn't know his trick. His legs were spread wide as he fell, claws out, his eyes narrowed and teeth bared. His tail twisted and swirled, keeping him balanced. She watched him from the corner of her eye, turning around in the slightly open ground to face the she-kit. The tortoiseshell glared at her and spat, bringing up one paw.

"Now, Sunstorm," Redfur growled.

The ginger-brown tabby closed her eyes and though of brightness. A blinding light so warm the shadows fled from her. As she did, the star-chips in her fur suddenly illuminated. Brighter they came, glittery specks all along her body. When she opened her eyes, she appeared to be nothing but a cat of light.

The she-kit had pulled back, her body low on the ground. She stared up with wide eyes, chest heaving and ears as flat as they could go. And the tom. . . he had diverted his falling course, landing somewhere behind where Redfur was. She couldn't see him, but that didn't matter, she had her own thing to do.

"Leave us now," she growled, stepping forward. "Do not bother the spirits of the stars!"

She shrieked and lunged, slashing down with her claws. The kit scrambled away, a dust cloud where she had been. Sunstorm's strike missed. She watched as the ferns swayed where the kit had gone and then looked back. The kit's brother wasn't there.

She let out a smile and turned to face Redfur. A grin lit his face and the two stared at each other before bursting into laughter.

"That was great!" Redfur purred. The light on his fur dimmed. He gazed at it, with his half smile. "A good thing we're in StarClan. No other cats in the skies have this."

The ginger-brown she-cat nodded her head in agreement. Her own light went lower, but she didn't get rid of it all the way. It was a gift all StarClan cats had. They could even decide when and if they wanted the stars to glow. Usually the cats forgot about it around the lake as it was a part of them and others, but on her journey, Sunstorm didn't want them glowing as it attracted too much attention.

"We should leave before they come back," she meowed, suddenly feeling depressed again. She knew that once they overcame the shock, the pair of miniature killers would be back, even more angry and aware of their foe's skills. "We have to leave before they get their courage back."

He nodded, his mouth pulled down into a serious face. He looked around and breathed deeply. "Know which direction?"

Sunstorm looked around. They were both lost. They didn't know what direction would take them out of the kit's territory or deeper in where the dirt trails crossed. She lifted her shoulders and tail and told him any direction was fine. She started off, continuing between the ambush site. He followed along, by her side, his tail swinging and his step light. She let his good mood come to her, letting her body relax enough to breathe easier.

**_-Line-_**

Late sunhigh light streamed through the trees. Sunstorm licked her lips, feeling dry. She wished there was a stream nearby, something to quench her thirst. She looked around and sniffed. Nothing. There was no way they'd find the stream she'd followed to get into the forest, not unless they asked for directions. And the kits would probably lie. She glanced over at Redfur and he gave her a soft smile before turning away. Then his face went back to sagging. She flicked an ear. He must have felt as depressed as she did.

The ginger tabby shook her head and sighed. Then she saw something from the corner of her eye. She jerked her head over, turning to look behind them. The dark brown tom stared back at her. He was frozen in midstep, his legs spread away from him as if he were hunting. His yellow eyes stared at her unblinking, his face blank. He crouched farther behind them, just peeking out from a holly bush. She stared at him, but he didn't move.

"Redfur," she hissed.

The ginger tom looked behind and blinked. The kit still didn't move.

"Do you see the sister?" he meowed, turning around.

The StarClan cats didn't move. They stood still, facing each other, glancing everywhere in the forest for the other kit. Sunstorm peered through the shadows. She didn't see anything at all. It was as if the she-kit wasn't there. The warrior tilted her head up, but nothing stirred in the leaves.

"He isn't doing anything," she finally meowed, turning back. "Let's keep going, just keep an eye on him."

Redfur nodded and then the two started walking again. She tilted and ear back. She could hear pawsteps. Rapid and light. She turned to look again. The tom had moved. He was closer now, but still in that odd spread out stance. He wasn't moving now. His eyes looked up at her. They seemed wide and unafraid.

She turned away and kept walking. She heard him follow. She whipped around, claws raised. The brown kit had moved again, closer still, but now frozen as she stared at him. He didn't say a word, didn't utter a sound. Just stared, legs askew. But he was still too close for comfort.

Redfur tilted his head back, looking at them both. She could see him swallow. Her own heart fluttered nervously. She glanced at the kit and then away. She didn't want to move. If she did, he would follow. If she didn't, they would stand that way all day. She licked her whiskers, tail waving side to side.

"We better run for it," she whispered to the former WindClan warrior. "Before whatever his sister doing catches up to us."

He nodded. His eyes darted around, searching for the tortoiseshell. He stepped forward. She started backing away. The kit, rose slightly up, eyes narrowing as she slowly turned around. She wanted to keep her eyes on him, but she couldn't if she wanted to run. She faced away from him. She could feel his gaze on her, waiting for her to move. She glanced at Redfur. He blinked back at her. Her legs tensed and lowered, preparing to run.

"Now," she mewed. She sprang forward, leaping up over a tree root and landing on a small fern on the other side. She didn't stop, her paws raking the ground as she sped forward. Beside her, Redfur pounded and behind she could hear the pattering of the smaller paws. They raced, not wanting to stop this time. It didn't matter where they went as long as they could get away.

"No!"

The cry was a thin wail. Sunstorm looked over. The tortoiseshell kit was running to them on the left between a tree that had been cut in half. She looked almost terrified. Sunstorm didn't let that bother her. She continued on, finding more strength within her to push through the low trailing leaves of a willow. She ran onward, pushing through, letting the leaves trail over her. Redfur was to her side, a pale ginger shadow. Behind she could hear the tortoiseshell yell at the young tom.

Suddenly there was no ground under her. The world lurched. Her paws went out from under her and she fell. She fell out of the willow tree vines and down. The sandy slope slid under her. She couldn't keep her balance and fell downward. She tumbled, the sand coating her fur and getting into her eyes. She rolled, the horizon spinning in her eyes until she shut them.

Eventually she came to a stop. Hard gravel dug into her shoulder. She opened her gummy eyes. Clouds floated by in an open, blue sky and water bubbled over stones nearby. On the other side of the stream another forest started. And above it, Sunstorm could see a mountain covered with trees, not like the Tribe's territory at all. The ground they stood upon was full of round stones, a treeless slice following the water's edge. It was peaceful. She could hear some birds singing nearby. The she-cat stood up and looked at the trail of darker sand she'd brought with her to the stream's edge. The dark trail led up a long curving slope where a wide willow tree leaned over. Two little faces peered down at her. She looked over and saw Redfur. He lay beside her. One eye opened and he looked at her and then at their surroundings.

Feeling he was all right, she turned her attention back to the kits. They stayed at the top of the slope. They didn't even come down, just sat there, glaring down, teeth bared. She suddenly knew. Just knew for certain. She and Redfur had left the kits' territory. They were safe. She let out a huge sigh, closing her eyes.

"I hope you never find your way home! I hope you stay lost forever in the Changing Lands!"

Her eyes snapped open and she stared back at the two. The yell had been distant, but loud enough to hear clearly. She glared back up at them. She didn't even want to reply. They might have been her friends once, but they'd made themselves her enemies.

"What do they mean by Changing Lands?" she meowed, turning to Redfur.

"The lands are always changing," he meowed. He stood now and shook the sand from his fur. He looked at her and his tail flicked to the stream. "Want to drink?"

She nodded and then followed him. After she was satisfied and her eyes and fur clean, she looked at him. "Tell me more."

But he didn't get the chance. The leaves started blowing and they seemed to fall. A blurring of green wreathed the tree tops and the trunks became nothing but a brown wall. Above on the slope the sand came tumbling down. The two kits pulled away and disappeared back behind the willow tree. The mighty tree stared fading from her sight while the rest of the world went to chaos. Only the stream remained the same. And only where they stood. Farther on, she watched it change course, suddenly the bank on the other side grew until it was steeper and there was a waterfall about two fox-lengths pouring down. And the mountain disappeared. There were only trees now. The blurring stopped. They were surrounded by trees in the middle of a forest. A pine forest. There was no undergrowth, just a thick covering of needles.

"Changing Lands," Redfur shrugged when it was over. "The only remain the same when a cat's claimed it as territory. One heartbeat you might find yourself in a desert, a moorland, or back where you started that morning."

Sunstorm just stared. Nothing at all looked the same. She had never ever experienced this. Feathertail had warned her, but she hadn't listened, she hadn't believed. Now she knew and it almost frightened her. Almost, except for the fact Redfur was still with her and this had helped them escape from the kits.

"This is odd," she meowed quietly. "Does this happen everywhere?"

Redfur nodded. "Yes, accept in territories. Ties to our descendants help us find our way home and stay with them. This was why on the Great Journey we could never speak with the Clans. We would have gotten lost and been in other skies if they'd given up on us."

She blinked at him in awe. "So how do we find our way home to StarClan?"

He only shrugged and shook his head. "I don't know. Maybe something will call us."

She certainly didn't feel any calling. But she did feel hungry. "Mouse?" she meowed. He nodded and they went off.


	10. Chapter 7: Lakefrost

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter_

* * *

**Chapter 7**

Lakefrost could still see in his head as the WindClan cats turned away and disappeared into the lower tunnel, leaving behind the two kits above the river. The two kits playing on unaware of the danger. And in his head, the gray tabby tom could hear his sister's voice.

"That's what they said. That's what the voices were saying!. . . The tunnels will flood and if we don't get out we're going to die!"

He reeled. For a moment he felt lightheaded. Die? Below ground, away from the stars? He was too young, he didn't want to die!

"Lakefrost, Lakefrost!" Honeybee rubbed her head against him. She pushed him, trying to get his attention. Somehow she got it, snapping him from the terror that gripped his throat. He stared at his sister, just catching a glimpse of her golden fur from the gray light that came from the crack in the cavern's ceiling. Down dripped the water, pouring across the roots holding back the dirt. Dripping down to fill the tunnels beneath the Clans. He could feel it on his paws. They had mud on them and that was growing slicker. His ear tips drooped with mud and water, his back was damp. It really was true.

"We have to get down there," Honeybee meowed. "We have to follow the way the kits took. You and I both know we can't jump down that opening."

She nodded to the hole they'd been looking through. The hole they'd seen WindClan abandoned two ShadowClan kits to a horrible fate. There wasn't any way the two warriors could climb down the steep, smooth sides. They'd have to keep following the narrow tunnels deeper. Hopefully they could find the kits soon enough.

"Yes," he gulped for air, trying to calm his racing heart. "You're right. First we have to warn them."

She nodded and sat within the small chamber while he went back to the hole. He looked inside the great deep cavern. The two kits still played on top of the ledge above the river where it gushed through one large tunnel into another. If his eyes and the dark weren t deceiving him, it looked as if the water had risen and was flowing faster.

He looked and spotted Pinekit and Chestnutkit. One of the brown kits had the other pinned on the ground. But the one below shoved upwards with its back legs, throwing its sibling away. Lakefrost's breath caught as the kit tumbled a bit too close to the edge. The kit didn't seem to notice, its tail waved in the air, a cheerfully indignant chirp coming from an open mouth.

"Pinekit! Chestnutkit!" he yowled. His voice echoed through the cavern, distorted. He yelled again, needing to get their attention. A set of ears tipped upward, a face twisting side to side. Lakefrost yowled again, leaning out through the hole. "Get out! Hurry!"

Pinekit nudged his sister. They both looked up. Their eyes sparkled against the light, as they turned in his direction. Lakefrost shouted again, waving a paw in the air. "Get out! Get outside!"

Chestnutkit's muzzle went to her brother's ear. It flicked and then the two waved their tails at him. He didn't know if they'd understood him or not. It worried him that they might stay there, expecting him to get them. Or else they would hide the moment he let them out of his sight. But they couldn't stay there. All four of the ShadowClan cats had to get out before it was too late.

Lakefrost pulled back inside the chamber. He looked at Honeybee and nodded. She led him back to the tunnel. One black hole sloped upward, a faint breeze of fresh air blew down on him and into his nose, calling him out into the forest where it was safer. Water ran down from that trail, sliding through his paws. Another tunnel not far from the entrance led downward. It had to be the one the kits had taken to get into the cavern. Honeybee led the way inside.

He ducked his head as his ears touched the dirt. There were no roots this deep, but moss still padded their feet from the hard bits of stone in the compact earth. Lakefrost's legs ached as he stayed low. His sister's tail brushed his nose as it flicked side to side. He could smell her own fear, but she was holding it back. He was glad she wasn't muttering about seeing things anymore. That made him even more nervous when she thought there were cats in the tunnel with them. Cats who spoke and said things only she could hear.

The tabby tom followed her, trusting her. But they kept going down, and then suddenly the tunnel shifted and they were walking up again. Lakefrost wasn't certain, but he felt as if they were headed away. It was taking too long. The kits would have been inside the cavern and back. It hadn't even taken them very long to leave the camp and get below ground. This was taking too long.

"Honeybee?" he meowed. "Is there more than one tunnel?"

There was silence. Finally she spoke. "I felt more than one as we passed by. I thought we should take the main one. I'm sorry."

He blinked and continued to look into the blackness. She hadn't said anything about other tunnels.

"Turn around," she meowed. "Maybe we can find some of them again."

Without a word he started back. His body felt cramped as he slid sideways, then doubled up. His muscles strained as he flipped around. He could hear her moving as well and suddenly he was leading. His steps were quick as they headed back up. He listened more, his whiskered against the tunnel sides, looking for more openings. The problem was, he wasn't certain which one to take. If they went straight they could get back to the sky, but if they did that, they'd lose the kits.

The water oozed around his paws and he stumbled, slipping until he almost fell on his chin. The ground wasn't stable beneath him. He could barely climb upward. He extended his claws, feeling for the moss to pull him along. There was only darkness and mud and the smell of water and old things everywhere.

He could feel space to one side of him. He turned and sniffed. Another tunnel. He paused. Should he go in? He did, stepping through. It was colder in that one, but the sides were wider. He could stand straighter. He walked on, listening as his sister panted beside him. On they walked. And Walked. And walked some more. Each time the tunnel curved or sloped in one direction or another, or he suddenly found another opening to go through, Lakefrost's chest got tighter.

Splash. He stumbled forward, his leg falling into water almost chest deep. He backed up into Honeybee. As the water dripped from his leg, he stared sightlessly forward. He could hear the water now. A slight flowing sound. It wasn't fast. It didn't need to be. It had them. It had all the time. Because there was no way the siblings were getting out. No way, because they didn't _know_ the way out.

"We're lost," Honeybee meowed. It wasn't a question.

"We have to find the tunnel out," he meowed back, his voice quavering.

"The kits?"

He closed his eyes and scrunched his face. "There is any way we're finding them now. We have to leave them." It was the hardest thing to say. It burned his throat until he had to choke it out. For once, his own life was more important. He couldn't find them, couldn't rescue them. He had to rescue himself. He and Honeybee had to get out before the water filled up over their heads.

"Go back," he whispered.

"Did you say something?" she meowed.

"I said we had to go back," he made his voice louder until it echoed back against them.

"That's what the voices are saying," she meowed, her voice tight.

"Voices?" he hissed. "Not that again!"

"But they are here. Cats. Young ones. I can see them in the darkness. They're watching us. There's one, an ugly furless tom with bulging eyes. He has a stick in his claws. He just sits in the cavern. The other cats around us, they're telling us to leave-"

"Enough!" he hissed. He turned to her, feeling her warmth in the darkness. "There are no voices! There are no cats with sticks. We are alone in here. And we are going to die!"

Silence answered his words. His breath came out in gasps. She was silent. She probably had her ears down, a twisted expression on her face. But she didn't argue. That wasn't her. He waited for something, anything at all. There was no reply. She didn't deny what he said or agree with it. She wasn't going to apologize.

Suddenly he heard something falling in the water behind them. He looked back, but didn't see a thing. But he could hear movement as something pushed through. Something was getting closer. His fur rose and he just stared, willing his claws out. He'd attack if he had to.

"Are you still there?"

He blinked, his ears pulling back. The confused and high voice was familiar. It shouldn't have been down there with them.

"Lakefrost?" she meowed, pulling herself from the water. It dripped down her fur, pattering on the ground as she walked forward.

Honeybee huddled by his side, listening to this cat that came for them.

"Mallowstalk?" Lakefrost whispered.

"Lakefrost!" meowed the ginger she-cat, their other sister. Mallowstalk rushed forward and pressed her wet self against her brother. He purred and leaned into her. Honeybee licked her sister's chest clean.

"You came down," he meowed.

"Yes," was her breathy reply. "I came."

"But you were scared!"

"I still am. Everything is too enclosed." She shivered.

Lakefrost wasn't really sure if it was because she was cold or really was scared. It could have been both. Instead he wondered how she'd found them. What had made her overcome her fear and get them?

"The kits got out," she meowed to his unasked question.

"They did?"

"Yes," Mallowstalk nodded. "They came out some time ago. I was worried when you didn't show... so I came." she sounded as if she were ashamed. Lakefrost wondered why.

"So do you know the way out?" he meowed.

She shook her head. "No. The tunnel was filled with mud as soon as I got to the bottom. We're stuck."

Lakefrost suddenly couldn't breathe. They were stuck. Stuck because of a mudslide. And the water kept rising.

"I only found you because of your scents. And because Lakefrost was yelling. I don't know if I can get us out. The water is making it harder, washing away all the scents."

"You can still find fresh air can't you?" Honeybee was meowing.

Lakefrost couldn't really hear. It was all just background noise.

"I'll try. Let's get moving."

They nudged him and then realized he wasn't really responding. In the end they had to pull him along. When they got to water, they pushed him in. He came up sputtering, the ringing in his head gone. He swam to the edge and pulled himself up.

"That's deeper than I expected," Mallowstalk meowed.

"You just threw me in too see that?" he demanded, growling.

"Hey, if you're going to go catatonic, do it someplace safer."

"But we aren't ever going to get out!"

"Don't say that," Honeybee squeaked.

Lakefrost moved away from the water. It had risen as he sat there, curling over his paws. His heart still pounded, but he was a bit clearheaded. He realized they needed to find the way out, not sit and wait for the water to take them.

"How hard was the rain?" he meowed.

"It was fair when I got in," she meowed. "But suddenly there was a torrent. That s what brought down the mud."

He knew then the water would just get worse.

"Quick," he meowed. "Do you smell anything at all?"

"I might," was the answer in the dark. "But we have to go passed this water."

"Yes," Honeybee breathed. "That is what they're saying too."

Lakefrost's ears went back and he stared in her direction. What he suddenly feared most was that they'd all go insane from spending time below. Honeybee was just the first to crack.

"All right," he meowed. "Across the water then."

He turned back and slowly slipped in. But once there, he panicked. He didn't know how to swim. He wasn't RiverClan! But his legs churned, if in elegantly, and he moved forward. They jumped in behind him, gasping in the cold. They went on and he grew tired, wondering how long the water would be. His head hit dirt. He gasped and went under, his head aching. He tried to get up again, but his nose only pressed more dirt. His heart pounded and he claws his way across the tunnel ceiling.

Suddenly there was air. He took big gulping breaths as his sisters broke the surface around him, yowling and sputtering and just as desperate for air.

"Are we getting anywhere?" he croaked.

"I can smell the air," was Mallowstalk's only reply.

"The cats are gone," Honeybee whispered. "They didn't go into the water. They are scared of it."

"Hurry," he gulped. "We have to find land."

They swam forward, though not as fast as he would have liked. They did find land eventually, and though he wished to rest there, Mallowstalk insisted they kept going. She led them on where a stream of water pushed at their feet, almost forcing them downward. The tunnel was low and very narrow. She struggled on, leading them up. And suddenly light filled Lakefrost's eyes.

Mallowstalk's ears were haloed in the light. She was only a dark shadow against the light up ahead. He moved faster, pushing against her even though he stumbled and almost slid down into Honeybee. Mallowstalk was just as anxious. She started running upward. Bits of water flung into their eyes, but on they went.

They broke through. Honeybee was the last out. The three stood, turning around, a small sloping tunnel behind them, wondering where they were at. There was undergrowth everywhere: thick ferns and bushes, flowers and grass, and dipping weed stems. Tall trees thick leaned and towered, their leaves shuddering and spinning in the rain.

"I smell ThunderClan," Mallowstalk whispered.

And then the rain stopped. Under Honeybee's back paw, the dirt crumbled. She stepped away. The three cats watched as the soil crumbled and collapsed. Soon the only thing left of their escape was a very wet dip in the ground.


	11. Chapter 8: Fawnfur

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter_

_Thanks to reviewers: _Chat et Chocolate _and _Darkness of the Eclipse

_I'm coming into a week of tests, so I won't really be updating much. So in case, if you haven't already heard, there will be a Lunar Eclipse on the 21st. See it if you have no clouds._

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**Chapter 8**

It might have been early evening when the rain stopped. The torrent ceased into a gentle dripping and then finally nothing. The last droplets glimmered on leaf tips, trickling down while above the thick clouds disappeared slowly, scattering away across the WindClan moor. I looked up and watched them float away, pushed onward by some unknown force. Left behind in their wake were golden beams of sunlight along their uneven, white tops. And in some area where the leaves weren't so thick I saw the arch of colors stretch across the sky.

The gray haze pulled away from the tree tops, letting in the blue light tinted with orange. Somewhere I heard a robin call. I could see the squirrels jump out from knot holes, shaking their fuzzy bodies and then hopping along narrow branches to leap over the forest floor to another great tree. It was so peaceful. But I knew that peace held something hidden at the core.

With the slacking of the rain, the bush under which I huddled seemed to get warmer. I breathed out and shook my shoulders, hoping to get some heat. I would have been happier in camp. But my Clan had all but chased me away. Bumblethroat had cornered me when Jayfeather was in the medicine cat den. He told me to leave or he would hurt me. I had seen cats watching from the warrior den. They didn't stop him. So I walked out while it rained.

I knew he had to be suffering after Graykit died, but after a brief flash of pity for the light gray tom, I felt anger in my heart. I had done nothing wrong, but the Clan was against me. They thought me a traitor.

_Well I've done everything for you_, I thought angrily._ And this is the thanks I get for trying to save you?_

My chin jutted out and I glared at the tree in front of my bush. Two roots from another tree enclosed the blackberry bush I huddled beneath. I was lonely and cold, and my fur itched from the few thorns I'd brushed against. I could only wait until night time before I went back into camp. Bumblethroat wouldn't notice me then. I knew if I waited much longer, Jayfeather would be concerned. I didn't want to worry him much. I didn't really want him to know about how Bumblethroat had convinced me to leave. What kind of a medicine cat am I if I get scared away by Clan members? What kind of medicine cat am I if no one trusts me, if they hate me, and don't believe a word I say?

I stood up, wanting to do something and not lay under that bush. I didn't want to think about what had happened. I walked out, the water catching in my fur and running down. It felt cold and I shivered, turning to lick it off. Once out, I stared around. What could I do? I decided to walk around the territory. A whole season had passed since I was a warrior and went on patrols. Now I just wanted to explore and not have to look for leaves. When I started, it felt natural, as if I was doing my real duty. I started down to the lake, and through the trees I could see it glimmer with faint light. There were dark blue patches in the waving water.

I watched it for a short time before a sound caught my attention. My ears rose and I turned my head, quickly, trying to find where the shriek had come from. Bodies crashed into the bushes and claws slammed into the ground and into fur. I blinked. A battle? Near the ShadowClan border?

I raced forward, listening as the hissing and fighting got nearer. I first saw Lionblaze's golden pelt, and then two other Clanmates: Ivyflight and Meadowpaw. Then I saw who the opponents were. Though all were covered in mud, the ShadowClan cats were the worst, their fur spiked and almost covering their color. The light gray tom fought beneath Lionblaze, though he didn't land a blow, Lionblaze was too quick for him, he fought well, not giving up, kicking with his back legs, getting back to his feet and striking out, baring his teeth. He did have lines of dark red through his fur. His sisters weren't much better.

I just stood there, my sides heaving as I watched the cats get thrown into bushes, leaves scattering, and patches of fur hung on plant stems. What was going on? Why had Lakefrost crossed into ThunderClan territory? I wondered if he thought he could see me again. I admit I did want to talk to him, to ask if he'd ever gotten Honeybee back home, to ask if Fallingstar had forgiven him yet, and if they'd ever found out which cats were with the Dark Forest. I could already see one answer to my question. Honeybee, a golden tabby was fighting with Meadowpaw. She was the most wounded, limping, her eyes wide, unable to even land a blow.

"Stop!" I yowled.

For a moment they all froze. Lionblaze and my Clanmates looked back. That gave Lakefrost and his siblings time to form a line, crouching low, ears against their muddy heads.

"Get help, Fawnfur," Lionblaze told me, turning back to the ShadowClan warriors.

I didn't move and Meadowpaw muttered something. The golden tom looked back at me, his eyes narrowed. "Hurry before their reinforcements come."

"We aren't invading!" Lakefrost hissed. "If you gave us time to explain, we would have told you that!"

"Then what are you doing here?" Lionblaze demanded.

"We got lost," Lakefrost meowed quietly.

"Lost?" Ivyflight echoed. "Did the rain wash away our scentmarkers?"

Her sarcasm made the ShadowClan trio bow their heads.

"This has been two times, Lakefrost," Lionblaze hissed. "You've crossed two times. This isn't something innocent."

"I-"

"Then your patrol attacks one of ours after trying to rearrange the border," he continued. "Our Clan won't tolerate this!"

Meadowpaw and Ivyflight yowled their agreement. They moved forward as Lionblaze did, no longer wanting to talk, it was time for revenge. But I couldn't allow it. My friends were innocent. I didn t know what they were doing here, but I didn't believe it was dangerous, perhaps they only wanted to find me. I ran forward, startling my Clanmates. I got to Lakefrost's side and stood in front of him.

"Stop," I meowed. "At least listen!"

"Fawnfur," Lionblaze whispered. His eyes widened and then constricted. "You are-"

"How did you get here?" I demanded, turning to Lakefrost.

"The tunnels," he answered. His eyes were wide and for a moment, I could smell his fear through all the mud, blood, and anger.

From the corner of my eye, Lionblaze's ears went up. His legs became stiff. I could tell he knew something.

"And why did you come?" I meowed.

The gray tabby looked at me. He gave a sort of smile, but then dropped his eyes. "Pinekit and Chestnutkit disappeared from the nursery. We went to find them, but they'd gone underground. So we followed, but it started raining. We got lost. We did find them, but we couldn't get to them. We saw some WindClan cats, but they left our kits to die." His eyes blazed and he looked passed my shoulder to Lionblaze. "Pinekit and Chestnutkit did get out, but our way was blocked. We found only one other tunnel, and it brought us into your territory. We were only trying to get home."

"Where is the tunnel now?" Ivyflight asked.

Lakefrost twitched his tail, sort of pointing. "By some birch tree. But it won't help you, the moment we got out, it collapsed. It's only a muddy dip."

"Go to your territory," Lionblaze meowed. I glanced over and saw his eyes were no longer burning. His claws were in.

"You- you believe us?" Honeybee spoke up. She shifted on her feet, picking up her wounded paw.

The golden tom nodded. "We've had experiences with the tunnels before. Ivyflight, Meadowpaw." He nodded his head. The she-cats backed away, but neither looked happy.

"Thank you, Lionblaze," Lakefrost sighed. "We won't ever do this again."

"Next time I won't be lenient, no matter what the excuse," the ThunderClan warrior replied.

Lakefrost and his sisters turned away. But as they did, Mallowstalk glanced at me and then skyward. At first I was confused, then I realized she must have been reminding me of the time. The full moon was almost there. She turned away before I could nod back. The three cats disappeared between the trees, a direct line to their territory. We sat and watched them go, wounded, dirty, tired. I only blinked, wondering what would happen next.

"Fawnfur."

I looked at him. He frowned back at me, his golden face serious.

"You disobeyed an order."

"I'm not a warrior," I reminded him. "Medicine cats are above Clan rivalries."

"But in this time of danger, of a possible invasion, you did nothing. Any cat of ThunderClan, or any Clan for that matter, would have listened."

I blinked and couldn't look him in the eye.

"What were you doing out here anyway?" Ivyflight asked. "You'd have to leave camp the same time as us to get here. I never saw you."

I swallowed. "I waited out the rain. I got caught in it."

"Then come back to camp," Lionblaze meowed. "We have to talk to Bramblestar."

He turned away. The patrol went with him. I glanced at the border and then slowly followed. My paws felt like stones. It was so hard for me to go back. I could only hope no one was there waiting for me. That Bumblethroat and his mate weren't angry and wouldn't attack me. But at least Lionblaze wouldn't let them hurt me. I hoped.

"You were there when Graykit died, you left during the rain," Meadowpaw whispered. The white she-cat with ginger and gray spots walked beside me. Her steps were slow and her yellow eyes stared at me. "You were meeting with them weren't you? That's why you saved them. You're a traitor, working with ShadowClan."

She spat at me and hurried forward to her mentor's side. I stared after her, my heart aching. So that was what my honest action got me. Scorn. This would only be more proof for the cats that despised me. Meadowpaw would be sure to spread the word. Once again, I looked over at the border. I wished I'd never gotten into this mess.


	12. Chapter 9: Sunstorm

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter_

_Yes, I know this starts out with the ending of the last Sunstorm chapter. I'm deleting that part now. This is what comes of bad chapter planning, not sure where to put what._

* * *

**Chapter 9**

As the sun set around them, Sunstorm and Redfur had made a nest of pine needles in between the roots of one of the trees. They curled together, not really needing the warmth, but liking the company. For one reason, Sunstorm didn't want to get separated from him if the forest changed in the night. Dots and slashes of honey light leaked down the trees as the world took on black.

"Tell me about you," she told him. "What was it like in WindClan? Did you have any siblings?"

He nodded, closing his golden eyes. "I had a fair amount of siblings. Half siblings from both parents. But I had one littermate. He became leader of my Clan. But then there was a sickness. The rabbits carried it. Clan members died. I died and so did my brother. A young leader, not even lost any of his lives to battle. But he'd eaten the infected rabbit and passed it on to our Clan."

"How sad," she meowed.

He nodded, glancing at his paws. "I had a mate once. Just for a moon before the sickness. We never had any kits. She lived and found another tom. And our Clan rebuilt. But I was bitter. I had died too soon, so had my brother. We weren't close in life after we became warriors, but after death, we never separated. Except when the other leaders wanted to talk to him, to teach him StarClan's secrets. That was went I took to leaving StarClan on my own adventures. That's when I got lost; trying to find what else was in the skies. Harestar hated it when I left. He was scared I'd never come back. In time we grew apart and became used to death. We hardly ever speak now."

He looked away and sighed. "But once, he told me so many secrets the leaders keep from the warriors."

"Such as?" She was interested. She thought every StarClan cat was mentored and there were no more secrets. She'd always been taught that.

"Things about the Dark Forest."

Her ears rose and she stared at him. "But I know about the Dark Forest. That's not a secret."

"But things about it are," he meowed. Then he closed his mouth and looked away.

"Please tell me more," she told him. "It doesn't bother me. I'm really interested."

"I'm not sure I should be telling you or anyone. He was punished for telling me. That's when we started drifting apart. He became so lonely."

"At least tell me one thing," she meowed. "Do they have Changing Lands there?"

He snorted with laughter. "I wouldn't know, I've never been there."

"Do all evil dead cats go there, or just the ones from the Clans?"

Redfur tilted his head. "I've never been certain on that. All I know is that the cats there never spoke to each other. They wandered alone, forced to, unable to find each other. It's probably just like here though. Different StarClans, different Tribes all meshed into the skies with their own territories. They just don't know about each other. Then again. . ."

He drifted off, staring through her, a frown furrowing his ginger brow.

"'Then again'?" she questioned.

"Right after you left," he meowed. "Something changed. The leaders told us that the Dark Forest cats were gathering under Tigerstar. So now, they aren't alone. They've found each other. Maybe he has more than just former Clan cats with him now."

Sunstorm's eyes widened and she stared at him. Dread filled her heart. "And what is he going to do with these cats?"

"Attack the Clans on the Night of the Dark Moon."

"Oh, no," she meowed. Her head spun, and suddenly she remembered. She remembered falling off of the mountain.

_The edge crumbled even more just as Moss reached her. Sunstorm felt the ledge turn to dust in her paws and she slipped farther down. Her claws dug into the side of the mountain. She stared up as Moss crouched down. Sunstorm's golden eyes met the green of her friend's._

_"Hold on," Moss meowed. She put her paw down, reaching as far as she could, her claws extended._

_Sunstorm felt lightheaded and she found it hard to breath. She could only think about the nothing underneath her. Then her eyesight seemed to go and a power filled her._

_It sparked in her head. The familiar power she'd once felt while alive rushed through her, shocking her. Pictures filled her mind so quick she could hardly process it. As she stared upward into the hazy sky, her mouth worked on its own, declaring the words in her head._

_"Thunder will be silenced in the forest of darkness. Only the fawn in the shadows and a warrior who crosses unknown skies can stop the evening tiger from tearing down the trees."_

_Sunstorm snapped out of the trance long enough to realize her hold on the rock had weakened. Moss stared down at her, yowling, trying to reach for her paws. Sunstorm thought she could hear the others fighting the hawk, their growls and scratching, the shriek of the bird. Sunstorm stared up at Moss, back legs pummeled the stone, searching for a hold. But her claws shook, slowly weakening, slipping down, scratches in the rocks. The hold broke._

"Thunder will be silenced in the forest of darkness," Sunstorm spoke the words, feeling them in her mouth. "Only the fawn in the shadows and a warrior who crosses unknown skies can stop the evening tiger from tearing down the trees."

Redfur stared at her.

"We have to go to the Dark Forest," she meowed.

"Go to the Dark Forest?" he echoed. His eyes were wide.

"Yes," Sunstorm nodded. "We have to. I'm needed there."

"Just because of that-that prophesy?" he demanded. "How do I know you just aren't making up nonsense?"

She stared at him, her eyes hard. "Am I just talking nonsense?"

Redfur lowered his yellow eyes and shook his head. "No. You aren't. I know it, but still, cats just don't go there."

"But we need to," she told him. "We are the only ones who cat stop the Dark Forest and save the Clans."

"What about that shadow fawn?" he meowed.

Sunstorm thought about it. The sun sank behind them into an unfamiliar forest. The stream flowed nearby, a gentle movement along a pebbled bank. It was peaceful. So different from just that morning when the two StarClan warriors were chased by insane kits. She was glad they'd gotten out of that territory. Even if it had been an undignified roll down a sand hill into the Changing Skies, unknown skies as no cat had marked them as territory.

Redfur nudged the mouse bones by his paws, reminding her of his question.

"We are all needed," she meowed simply. "I don't know where the prophesy came from, but I know it's true. We have to go."

"We're only two cats," he meowed. "We could go back to StarClan. They were developing a plan."

"But we won't get there in time," she replied. "We don't know the way back to StarClan. And I thought the leaders didn't want us interfering."

He lowered his head. "I don't know anymore. We can only trust them."

"Sometimes a cat has to rely on herself," she meowed. "Right now, I know where we have to go. StarClan can do their own thing, whatever it is. We've got to stop Tigerstar."

The ginger tom slowly nodded. "I'll go with you."

"Great," she meowed. Then thought. "So how does one get to the Dark Forest? Where is it?"

"It's everywhere," he meowed, looking back at her.

She stared at him in confusion.

"All around us, the same places in the sky cats call home, it's there too. It's just another layer we can't see or interact with."

"And you know this how?"

"My brother."

"Of course."

"Only leaders and medicine cats are supposed to know," he meowed. "But he told me, like he told me other things. They just don't want cats crossing over for chats or battles, for cats to look for revenge."

She nodded. That would make sense. If cats knew how to get to the dark forest, they might go after the great enemies to get back for the things they'd suffered. She looked at him to continue.

"But it's there," he shrugged.

"But how do _we _get _there_?"

"You think it," he meowed, sounding embarrassed and uncertain. "You think about going to the Dark Forest and supposedly you take a step and you're surrounded by the dark trees and starless skies. I don't really believe it myself. I mean, how is that supposed to work?"

She smiled at him as he admitted his doubt. "Well, it doesn't hurt to try. If it really doesn't work, then I promise, we'll just go home. And maybe, for all you know, we could just think our way out of the Dark Forest and back into StarClan."

He blinked at her and then nodded slowly. "Okay. Let's try it."

He stood up and went to her side.

"Dark Forest," she murmured. She closed her eyes, comforted by his warm pelt beside her. She tried to envision what the Dark Forest would look like. Tall black tree trunks, a dark sky above, no lights except for the glowing of eyes peering behind the trees and from the leaves. Evil leers, blood dripping from exposed claws. The cats thin and full of scars.

She shivered and her eyes snapped open. She really didn't want to scare herself. Redfur looked at her in concern.

"You tell me what to think about," Sunstorm told her. "What I think of, I don't want to go there."

"I'd think of home," he told her, slightly smiling. Then the look left his muzzle. "But for you, I'd go to the Dark Forest. So close your eyes again."

She did and waited as his voice whispered into her ear about a dark place, filled with smoke and thorns, thick trees and thick undergrowth, not a sound to be heard anywhere. In the sky, nothing but black, for they were far, far, far away from stars and lights.

"Now walk."

She stepped forward, thinking of the trees, trying to shove the glowing eyes from her mind. She took another step and thought she could smell something burning. Took another step and her pad was pierced by something sharp. Sunstorm's eyes shot open. There was no light, no light anywhere, but she could still see tall, twisted trees strangled by thick vines. So many type of undergrowth on the ground, hiding the dirt in branches and leaves and sharp spines. She didn't look at much else, sitting to pull the thorn in her pad out. As it slid from her flesh a stream of blood flowed out. She quickly licked, spitting the spike out.

"So dark," she heard Redfur mutter.

She looked over and saw him standing, straddling the knobby roots of a rowan tree. But on his fur, she could see the speckles of starlight. She could faintly see her own glowing. She tried to dim it, but they refused to darken. If anything, maybe this was the only light they'd ever see for a while.

"So, we're in the Dark Forest," she nodded, walking over to him. She was careful not to step too hard on her injured paw. "What do we do now?"

He looked at her and quickly licked one of her ears. "I guess we look for Tigerstar?"

"Yes, and we tell him to give up."

He tilted his head and looked at her funny. "I hope you're just joking."

She grinned at him. "It worked, so we have to do what we came to do."

"And what is that?"

The voice was low. Certainly not Redfur's. They turned around, searching for the other cat.


	13. Chapter 10: Lakefrost

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter_

_Thanks to reviewers: _QK Ninja_ and _Darkness of the Eclipse

_Sorry for the wait. Test are all done, school is done for the semester and now I can write. Hopefully I can finish these stories before the new year. Anyway, I took a train to a place with snow, it was kind of fun, but I'm afraid there will be clouds in the way when I want to see the eclipse._

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**Chapter 10**

The moon shone full overhead, a great silver berry with deep gray patches. There was not a cloud anywhere. The stars were bright and brilliant in the dark sky. The night felt very warm, not a hint of the coming leafbare. Lakefrost found it hard to believe this night was even dangerous at all, that StarClan would lose their power.

He and his siblings walked near the lake, the rest of the Clan mere shadows prowling beside them. Fallingstar led the Clan to the island for the Gathering. She'd almost decided not to let them go, after all, Lakefrost's punishment the first time he went over the ThunderClan border was that he would not to go to the next three Gatherings. But Honeybee asked kindly to let him go; he'd found her and brought her back to the Clan. So Fallingstar reluctantly agreed, but it wasn't like the Clan hated him anymore. They'd quickly stopped believing him a ThunderClan-loving tom, although he'd feared it would brand him for the rest of his warrior days.

Mallowstalk sighed beside him. He glanced at his ginger sister. "Something wrong?"

"No," she meowed. "I'm just worried about the cats we left behind."

Lakefrost nodded. He was too.

"You don't think they'll be attacked?" Honeybee meowed.

"This is the Dark Forest we're talking about," Mallowstalk turned to her. "They would attack with the best warriors and leaders out of the Clan. When we all go back to our territories, the other Clans won't know what happened. That sort of turmoil is exactly what an enemy would want."

"I agree," Lakefrost meowed over Honeybee's astonished gasp. "They might also attack us on the island before anyone returns. Finish the strongest off and then go for the weakest. We have to warn the Clans in time."

"We should have told Fallingstar yesterday," Honeybee wailed quietly. "Then our whole Clan could come with us."

Scorchtree glanced at them. The older warrior was walking near them and had heard Honeybee's odd tone. Lakefrost nodded pleasantly as if nothing was wrong, but the older tom frowned and shook his head. Lakefrost glanced around, but no one else was nearby.

"She might not have let us come to the Gathering at all," he whispered to them. "She might not believe us and wouldn't want us spreading tales just to scare everyone."

He could remember their return from the tunnels. They were the very last cats back that evening. When she saw them, the ShadowClan leader rushed over, completely worried. The kits had told a tale of the underground and having fun, first seeing Mallowstalk and then as they came out of the tunnel their reunion with the Clan and how Mallowstalk was unable to get out in time. So the ShadowClan leader knew her children were below and when the warriors said the tunnel the kits had retreated from had been buried, she must have thought they were dead.

Mallowstalk told her how they'd gotten out in ThunderClan territory and had been attacked by ThunderClan, but were saved when they explained to Lionblaze about the tunnel. However, there was no mention of the voices Honeybee had heard or that it had been Fawnfur who'd convinced Lionblaze to listen. Finally Lakefrost told her about seeing WindClan below and how they'd been willing to let Pinekit and Chestnutkit to die in the flood. The Clan had grown silent and a frosty mood hung in the air. Fallingstar would have plenty to say that night at the Gathering. But last night had been the closest the Clan had been, sharing tongues, cleaning the mud and blood from their returned warriors. The three had agreed it was no time to tell Fallingstar about StarClan's prophesy, even when she wondered aloud what had gotten into the Clans to make them feel leaving kits endangered.

"The tree," Badgerface spoke up.

Lakefrost pulled away from these thoughts and looked up. The fallen tree bridge stretched across the undulating black water. The silver speckles nothing more than bobbing bits of fluff reflecting the stars. He could just see a group of cats clawing their way across the slippery, barkless trunk. He lifted his nose and scented WindClan. A low growl was in his throat.

ShadowClan arrived, just skirting the tall rushes and reeds of RiverClan territory, as the last of the moorland cats crossed.

"No word about the tunnels to anyone," Fallingstar growled to them. "Not until I challenged Onestar about it. He can explain it to all the Clans then."

Reluctantly the warriors accepted. Even Tigerheart, though moody, nodded his great head. Only Ashpaw had to speak up.

"We should have confronted those fleapelts last night, charged into their camp and fought them!"

"More can be accomplished in a Gathering than with claws," Brownfeather told him, hushing his apprentice with a wave of his brown tail.

"Right," Fallingstar meowed, glancing around. "No word. Not even to RiverClan about our useless border skirmish."

"Or ThunderClan about theirs," Dawncloud muttered.

"Now them I'd like to talk to," Knotfur hissed low. She'd been the cat leading the patrol when ThunderClan tricked Ashpaw into crossing. Lakefrost had almost forgotten, because that was the day Honeybee disappeared. He hadn't even heard of the RiverClan battle as he'd been out of the territory.

"Nothing," Fallingstar ordered, eyeing them. "Not until I bring it up."

"They might bring it up first," meowed Tigerheart, her deputy.

"RiverClan? Not likely, they didn't win anything out of it and they were in the wrong. Now, I am concerned about the other two. . ." She shook her head and then looked as if she was afraid she'd said too much. Her gaze drifted and Lakefrost realized she was looking behind them. He glanced over his shoulder and saw a group of cats coming from the direction of WindClan. It had to be ThunderClan, usually the very last Clan to any Gathering.

"Over," Fallingstar meowed. She jumped up first and started across, her Clan following.

Lakefrost tried to hang back on the shore, but Brownfeather was there, making sure his apprentice would make it across the slippery tree. The young warrior sighed and got on, just after Knotfur, Ashpaw scratching behind him. He'd have to meet Fawnfur on the island and not before. He wouldn t even know if she was with her Clan.

Once on the island, he could see something was wrong. RiverClan and WindClan weren't talking. The apprentices didn't mix and the warriors stood off, glaring at each other. Rainstar and Onestar sat in the Great Oak, each on opposite sides of the low branches. Pinefur and Sunfrost sat stiffly in the roots. ShadowClan's arrival didn't help much either, RiverClan hissed at them, but WindClan, still not realizing they had any problem with the Clan on the opposite side of the lake, acted more friendly; the apprentices trying to mingle and the Warriors grinning and saying friendly things. But Ashpaw and Wrenpaw turned their heads and wouldn't speak and the warriors just sat stiffly, answering as shortly as possible. Mostly they stayed as a group and walked to the typical spot their Clan sat in every Gathering. ThunderClan came next, once again WindClan seemed friendly and the gesture was returned to them and to RiverClan, but there was glaring over at ShadowClan. Lakefrost ignored it and looked for a familiar ginger-brown pelt.

Fallingstar jumped into the tree and sat next to Onestar who greeted her pleasantly and Rainstar who just growled something low. Fallingstar narrowed her eyes and both and pursed her mouth as if nothing was wrong, or else that she was just tolerating a rotting carcass. Bramblestar leaped up to them, sitting next to Rainstar.

Lakefrost finally spotted her next to her mentor, the medicine cat. She was walking with her head down, most of her Clan not beside her, as if they were ignoring her presence, although he did see at least two cats glaring at her. He narrowed his eyes and his ears flicked in suppressed anger. How dare they treat her like some diseased animal.

"Hold it," Mallowstalk growled at him, her paw on his thrashing tail. "Not yet. You can't go yet."

He knew it was mostly because she was surrounded by her Clanmates and in the open. Also because none of the other Clans, except maybe ThunderClan, was breaking apart and going to the other Clans. It would be odd for ShadowClan to approach a Clan they were almost at war with. They'd have to wait until the leaders started talking or else Fawnfur walked into the shadows of the island. He knew this but still resented Mallowstalk holding him back.

His siblings waited, watching the others. It didn't seem like much was different. No one was scared of a sudden attack. There was mostly smoldering anger in cats' eyes. Lakefrost wondered when the best opportunity to tell the Clans about the Dark Forest would be. He wanted to see Fawnfur first and ask her opinion about how they should tell the others.

They didn't have long to wait, the leaders still let the Clans talk, waiting before they started the meeting. Jayfeather leaned over and nudged his apprentice, whispering in her ear. One flicked and she slowly got up, walking away into the dark. Jayfeather didn't watch her go, but as she picked her way over, some cats turned to her, gazing as she left. She ignored them and disappeared to the outer edge of the island.

"Now?" Honeybee meowed.

"Fine," Mallowstalk sighed. "Badgerface come with me. You two start off in a different direction."

She stood up and after a flick of her tail, Badgerface went with her. Scorchtree meowed, "Where you going?"

"To talk with some ThunderClan cats," Mallowstalk meowed.

Lakefrost's heart froze, surprised she was giving them up so easily.

Scorchtree just shook his head. "All right." It sounded like he thought they were mousebrained, but he said nothing more, just watching the two leave. Ashpaw, over with the apprentices and looking bored, spotted them and looked like he might join them, but Buddingpaw asked him a question. Lakefrost soon got up and Honeybee too.

"And where are you going?" the warrior asked again.

"What are you," Honeybee snipped, "our mentor?"

Scorchtree's ears flicked and even Dawncloud looked surprised.

"Dirtplace," Lakefrost interrupted. "We're going to the dirtplace. I don't feel so well, I think that frog was a little. . . bad."

He walked away, limping a bit as if his stomach was cramping and Honeybee followed after. He could see her golden ears turning red. "Mousebrain," he hissed at her.

"Sorry," she whispered back. "I. . . thought he was being annoying asking so many questions. We're warriors, we should be able to go anywhere we feel like now."

"True," he answered, walking regular now that they'd disappeared behind a bush. "But they're just worried. Maybe he wants to make sure we don't start fighting with WindClan or RiverClan. Or warning them about Fallingstar's challenge. Or maybe he wanted us to get back before the meeting started."

"Hmm." She sounded convinced and embarrassed.

He let the subject drop, following the scent of Mallowstalk and Badgerface. To the side he could just see the lake shimmering in the darkness and to the other side he could just see the other cats in their circle. Rainstar was just standing up, it looked like he might give the starting yowl.

Ahead he caught sight of three cats sitting together, as he and Honeybee approached, their steps kind of loud, the three looked up guiltily and leaned away from each other. Fawnfur sat with a hunch, her eyes rimmed with red, her mouth in a frown. She gave him a relieved, but tired look when he sat down beside her.

"You don't look so good," he meowed.

"That's what Mallowstalk was telling me," Fawnfur replied.

He glanced at his sister. She just frowned back. He had a feeling it hadn't been in a nice or concerned way. "Then your Clan has been. . .?"

He let the question drift.

"Do we have time for this?" Mallowstalk snapped. "The Dark Forest could attack at any heartbeat and you want to have a friendly chat?"

"I agree with Mallowstalk," Badgerface spoke up, slowly but still firm.

"It's not like we can do anything," Honeybee meowed quietly, "The Gathering's started. We can't interrupt the leaders."

"Let's get closer and listen," Fawnfur meowed. She stood up and walked forward to the bushes. She stopped before poking through so no other cats would see her. The ShadowClan siblings moved forward with her.

"I want to hear what they say," she explained. "We can tell them after. They might want to fight, but at least we can direct them to fight the right enemy."

"How do you know they'll want to fight?" Lakefrost meowed.

"After everything this moon?" Fawnfur meowed quietly. "Jayfeather said the Dark Forest has been haunting other cats' dreams, taunting them, challenging them, turning them against the other Clans. They don't really need their living traitors to get us to fight each other."

"I'm sorry," Lakefrost meowed. "We didn't find anyone. We didn't have time."

"I understand," she meowed back. "I'm glad you got Honeybee back."

She smiled at the golden she-cat who blinked pleasantly back. Then the five gazed into the small clearing. Rainstar was done talking long ago, after some sort of report and then Onestar was just finishing after one of his boring explanations of that moon. Bramblestar and Fallingstar eyed each other, wondering who would go first. The dark brown tabby tom motioned for her. The small she-cat gave him a nod and then walked to the fore of her branch.

"My Clan is well, except for an accident just the other day," she meowed smoothly. The cats all looked up at her, their ears titling in surprise at a change in the usual summary the other leaders had given. "Our two kits found the tunnels below our territories. They nearly drowned. WindClan was there in the tunnels and left our kits," she spat, glaring at Onestar. "My warriors saw a patrol turn away calmly."

"You are mistaken," Onestar growled. "My warriors would never do something like that."

"But you know about the tunnels," she growled back. "Your Clan knows a way in."

He didn't answer and that spoke for itself.

"And one of your patrols did see Batwing's kits," Fallingstar pressed. "A Timberleaf," she said the name slowly as Lakefrost had told her. "And a few others, a tom and a she-cat. Your cats left my kits."

"They would not," Onestar snapped.

"It is true," Bramblestar meowed from behind. "One of our patrols spotted Fallingstar's cats returning from the tunnels and were told everything."

The cats below murmured. Lakefrost peered through the jagged leaves and branches, around a furry shoulder of his sister, and tried to see where that same Timberleaf was, but she wasn't with the other cats. She must have stayed in camp.

"They never told me about this," Onestar meowed slowly, closing his yellow eyes. "I am sorry for their behavior."

"As you should," Fallingstar spat. "Do not let this happen again."

"Do not tell me what to do!"

"You owe her something," Rainstar meowed. "You owe ShadowClan for your warriors' behavior."

"Oh, really," Onestar spat. "And what should I give her? Hmm? A rabbit? That is not worth two kits' lives! And I can't give her any of my territory." His Clan growled at the thought.

"Then I suggest an apology to the kits' mother," Fallingstar meowed quietly. "I will ask of nothing else."

He glared at her but turned to the cats below. "Is she here?" And when Fallingstar nodded he looked down. Batwing gazed up at him, her eyes hard, her body stiff. "I am sorry for what my warriors have done," Onestar meowed loudly to her. "They should have never endangered any kits, not from any Clan. I am sincerely horrified by their actions. I will have Timberleaf herself go to your Clan tomorrow and ask for your forgiveness."

"I accept this," Batwing meowed, her voice hard. She turned away, but really didn't look satisfied.

No one else spoke and Fallingstar started again. "Other than a few useless border battles, my Clan has been fine." She stepped back. Lakefrost was surprised when she didn't make a big deal out of what the other Clans had done. Then he realized pushing them would make her seem demanding and any points she'd received for treating Onestar as politely as she had would be lost. She'd loose everyone's respect.

Bramblestar moved forward. "I regret to inform you of a death of Graykit. Greencough got to him. His parents are devastated." There was a murmur of sympathy. Lakefrost looked at Fawnfur in surprise. She seemed even more miserable. He leaned against her in sympathy and she sighed.

"I need to bring up that we have had our own disputes over the border," the ThunderClan leader continued. "Fallingstar, your warriors tried to rearrange our border."

Her ears rose in shock. "They never tried! Your warriors attacked my patrol first! I was told how they convinced one of my apprentices over and attacked him."

Ashpaw's ears went down in embarrassment. He was the only tom apprentice in ShadowClan and he'd fallen for their trick.

Bramblestar glared at her. "You doubt the words of my warriors?"

"Yes," she told him simply. "From their actions one of my own warriors disappeared. I was afraid she'd never come back. I am grateful that she did."

Bramblestar seemed confused and angry all at the same time. She had insulted his cats. And what was she talking about, disappearing cats?

"I would take the word over Bramblestar than yours," Rainstorm meowed. Onestar looked surprised. The two had just backed her up against him, now they were turning against her. "My own Clan fought yours not too long ago over our territory."

"It was on ShadowClan land," she hissed at him. "Your cats were stealing our prey. It would have been a simple patrol matter if you hadn't turned it into a battle!"

"We don't need your prey," he growled.

"Then why were your cats on the other side of the greenleaf-twoleg-place?"

Rainstar glared at her. He couldn't think of anything to say in defense. She'd given him a good point.

Bramblestar looked surprised and even Onestar was shocked to hear about this unknown battle. But the ThunderClan leader didn't like that they'd veered away from what he was saying. He quickly started, "Your cats have been on my territory too much for me to think this border incident was a mistake, Fallingstar."

"Lakefrost acted of his own accord," Fallingstar meowed to him. "He was not under any of my orders. I punished him."

"And why is he here then?" Bramblestar growled. "This punished tom?"

Everyone looked around. Lakefrost shrank away even though they couldn't see him. Eventually Bramblestar realized Lakefrost was nowhere in sight and his ears flicked, his eyes glancing downward. Perhaps he'd been mistaken. Fallingstar continued to look around, seeming confused, probably wondering where all her children had gotten to.

"Obviously ShadowClan has a paw in everything," Rainstar growled. "Causing battles with my Clan and yours Bramblestar, convinced they're seeing WindClan in these odd tunnels that seem to keep disappearing. I'm not so sure they're innocent."

The Clans growled and suddenly the other tom leaders looked up, their ears straight. They stared at Fallingstar.

"Who saw my cats below?" Onestar meowed suddenly.

Fallingstar turned to him. "What does that matter? Your cats would still be at fault either way."

"Well we can ask your warrior exactly what they saw," Onestar meowed, his voice confident, but his eyes narrowed. "Who were these other cats with Timberleaf? How does he or she know it was WindClan when they were all going to drown?"

Fallingstar frowned at him. Lakefrost's heart jumped. If she brought his name up one more time at the same Gathering. . . then the cats would see so many connections. That he was practically in on everything.

"There isn't any way RiverClan could pin him starting the border battle," Honeybee suddenly whispered. "Lakefrost was looking for me."

"Thank you so much for that," Lakefrost growled back. "Like I really want to know all the Clans want to blame something on me."

"I told you getting into this would cause trouble," Mallowstalk spat. "They're going to start doubting all of ShadowClan because of this."

"Quiet," Badgerface meowed. He looked back at the clearing where many of the cats were standing now, turned to ShadowClan, the leaders snarling at each other. Somehow they'd missed where the Gathering had turned to something close to war.

"This is the wrong enemy," Fawnfur whispered, watching them. "The wrong enemy. . ."

She suddenly stood out and pushed through the bushes. "Stop this!" she yowled. "These cats have nothing to do with your troubles!"

Eyes turned to her. Lakefrost wanted to lurch out after her, but again Mallowstalk pulled him back.

"We can't abandon her," he growled. "She'd about to tell them about the Dark Forest!"

"You fool, if we appear next to her, what will the other cats think?" Mallowstalk hissed. "We'll go out another way. We aren't going to leave her. Now hurry up."


	14. Chapter 11: Fawnfur

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter_

_So the names Fawnfur says, I made most up, except for the first five. And you'll recognize Eveningbreeze. She got these names from looking into the past._

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**Chapter 11**

"Your problems are not caused by the living!" I yowled. "Don't you see? Cats from our pasts that should be dead have come back and haunt your dreams with lies. There have been more battles this moon with so many different Clans over the smallest things. The Dark Forest is with us."

Cats just stared at me, they probably had no idea what I was talking about, but I could see some fear in their eyes, the anger dying out as they started to listen. Others of course, mostly from my own Clan, still had a hard look. They probably though I was just causing trouble.

"The Dark Forest, the place-of-no-stars," I continued. "Where cats go when StarClan will not accept them. The evil ones roam there: Tigerstar, Brokenstar, Hawkfrost, Mudclaw, Ashfur, Rockfall, Icetail." I watched their eyes grow with every name. Cats from the past from each Clan that had done some unforgivable evil act. "Sharpfang, Aspencloud, Eveningbreeze. These cats, they've banded together against us, lead by Tigerstar."

"Keep quiet," a cat suddenly spat. I was startled from my speech, suddenly loosing anything I'd meant to say. I spotted him, my Clanmate. His sliver body and wide white face. He just glared at me.

"Stop talking nonsense," he growled. "When cats are dead they're dead. StarClan wouldn't let anyone harm us."

"Please, just stop," Bramblestar spoke. Owlface's ears went back and I looked up. My leader was looking at me, not Owlface and the tom seemed to realize, his ears rising again.

"Despite how sincere our Fawnfur may seem," the ThunderClan leader meowed, catching everyone's astonished attention, "she isn't reliable. For this whole month she's been sneaking around, pretending to be mates with Owlface, using him to cover up her secret meetings with a ShadowClan tom."

"But, but," I meowed as eyes turned to me. For a moment I forgot what I was even doing. Why had I spoke out? Why was I willing to look like a fool in front of everyone? Why had I even decided to follow StarClan? Wait, StarClan.

"It was a prophesy from StarClan," I meowed. "They told me last moon, while you were at the Gathering. Firestar came to me. He told me we were in danger from the Dark Forest, that StarClan could do nothing to help us, because tonight, this night, the Dark Forest will have the power."

Cats gasped and stared at me.

"Enough!" Bramblestar snarled. "Fawnfur, enough of this nonsense!"

"But you know about the Dark Forest," I yelled back at him. "You know the danger it has, that they can affect the living, reach through dreams. On the Dark Night StarClan will not be able to help us, that is why Tigerstar is going to attack us now!"

"It's true."

I looked over. Mallowstalk and Lakefrost stood side by side, their other siblings behind them. They were farther away, behind another group of cats and now closer to their own Clan. Hadn't they just been behind me? I wondered and then wondered when they'd come out of the bushes. I hadn't even seen them. Or thought about them really. Just seeing them tonight had been a relief that I hadn't dreamed the whole moon and that I was hallucinating like Bramblestar would have me and the other Clans' believe.

"We each were contacted by StarClan as well," Lakefrost meowed. "They told us the prophesy that we and Fawnfur had to help stop the Dark Forest from rising. We couldn't. We couldn't find the traitors in our Clans, the ones that the Dark Forest have contacted and are using to get us to fight." He looked at them as if searching for those cats. Bramblestar looked away and so did a few others, not able to meet the gray tabby's blue eyes.

"But then just last quarter moon, StarClan met us again at the Moonpool."

"When did you go to the Moonpool?" I heard someone mutter from the direction of ShadowClan.

"I was there!" Ashpaw stood up. "I went with them. I saw StarClan and then I told Fallingstar they'd been looking for me so they wouldn't get in trouble for being out late."

"So you know about this already?" Fallingstar demanded, staring down at the apprentice who solemnly nodded.

"Well, what did StarClan say?" Kestrelwing, WindClan's medicine cat, meowed impatiently.

"They told us that the Dark Night would be when the moon was full," Lakefrost meowed. "That was when the Dark Forest would attack when StarClan's power was weakest."

"But why would they let this happen? Why haven't they told us?" Kestrelwing demanded.

"They had to close off communication," I explained. "They said they were sorry, but they'd caused this."

Gasps came to my words. It was as if everything I said was shocking. Well, maybe it was, but I was so used to it, I just wanted to get it out. "They had ruined the balance by speaking to regular warriors, not keeping conversations at the Moonpool, and by giving cats powers. They had to stop talking to everyone to restore the balance, but the Dark Forest got the power anyway. They are able to interfere with our lives. And Tigerstar wants revenge, so do the others."

"But why didn't they come to us?" Flametail asked. I saw him look at Lakefrost. "We are the leaders and medicine cats."

"I don't know," my companion meowed. "We wondered that ourselves. What could we do? Obviously we failed, we couldn't stop it. Now all we can do is warn you. And we have."

"But what do we do?" a RiverClan warrior meowed. "How can you fight something that's already dead?"

The Clans started yowling and demanding answers. Even the leaders couldn't calm them down. I couldn t make sense what anyone was saying and didn't try to. I wasn't sure what else I could say. I'd warned them all, perhaps not what StarClan would have had me do, but since Bramblestar wouldn't listen, I had to take it to all the Clans. Lakefrost and the rest must have agreed with me, why else stand beside me? Why else had Fallingstar just been confused?

"We can't just stand here," Rainstar yowled finally. "What if they're all ready attacking our camps? Everyone is unprepared, without protection. RiverClan!" He jumped off of the Great Oak and his Clan swarmed around him anxious to get back to their territory. It wasn't long before the other cats were just as impatient.

"No, we can't spilt up," Lakefrost yowled, but no one listened to him. I wound my way over to him.

"Why can't we?" I asked, "We have to make sure they're safe!"

"But we're stronger together," Lakefrost meowed. "They can't all attack us on the island."

"But the others!"

"We should bring them here."

But as I looked around, I realized there would be no time, no reasoning with the others. They were already fleeing. RiverClan had taken off, their bodies brushing through the reeds sounding like wind. WindClan too were running over the tree and along the shore of the lake. ThunderClan was starting for the tree, only Jayfeather staying behind, his sightless eyes staring at me. ShadowClan was still around Fallingstar who was saying something to them, Ashpaw by her side as she demanded answers from him. She spotted us and started over.

"I don't think it'll work," I told him. "We have to manage on our own."

"Then, I'll see you when it's over," he finally got out.

Fallingstar had come. She was staring at her four children, glancing at me. It was obvious she wanted to talk to me and to them, but my Clan was starting to leave me behind. I didn't want to be left without them. They needed me now that they knew the truth. I had to help them even more, tell them everything I knew, not just a hasty summary.

"See you when it's over," I meowed, suddenly choked up. I didn't know if I ever would see him again, or if our meeting would take place in StarClan when the Dark Forest finally won. I nodded to Fallingstar and ran over to Jayfeather. He stood up and licked my forehead.

"Don't worry," he meowed quietly to me. "You did what you needed to. There isn't any way Bramblestar can say you're lying. Let's get back."

I nodded and hurried after him as we went over the tree. I concentrated, holding on with my claws. I only could hope we'd get back in time, before the Dark Night started and hordes of Dark Forest cats came to bloody their dead claws.

When we got back to camp, nothing was unusual. Most cats were sleeping, but they quickly awoke with warriors tromping through, making sure everyone was alive. Bramblestar gathered them under the Highledge and explained what had happened at the Gathering. He had me tell everyone about the prophesies and what I and the ShadowClan cats had found out. So many cats seemed relieved to know that I wasn't a traitor after all, that I had very good reason to be seeing Lakefrost after all. I know Lionblaze nodded in my direction, respect in his eyes. Cinderheart wrapped her tail around me and even Frostshine and Dewstep smiled at me.

I didn't get any such acceptance from Lightningwhisker or Bumblethroat. Owlface looked uncertain and even guilty, licking his whiskers and glancing at me, then away, suddenly pacing and then stopping. Meadowpaw, too, seemed ashamed for what she'd called me last night. Morningsong watched me, her head tilted in wonder, but most of her face hidden away in shadow from a bush.

Bramblestar had everyone sleep in the open that night, waiting for the Dark Forest to come. Not many cats did sleep once they knew what was about to happen that we'd all be attacked by a powerful force, a frightful one. They stayed up and we sat there in silence, just waiting. The moon started sinking, its round shape full of its silver-gold glory. The stars still shone on.

Then a pale olive green started lighting up the sky. The moon was gone from sight, the light from the sun slowly consuming the tops of the trees. The shadows stated retreating, the tall branches silhouettes in the coming dawn. There was only shadows in the quarry where we all waited, laying out on the sand.

"They aren't coming, are they?" Lightningwhisker asked, her tail curled about her remaining kit.

No one would look at me. I couldn't look at them. My chest just hurt. What had happened? Why wasn't the Dark Forest here? I realized then Bramblestar was coming. I looked at him, my eyes wide and I'm sure pleading.

"Well?" he meowed. "The night is done. The full moon is over. There wasn't any darkness at all."

"I don't know what is happening," I meowed, shaking my head. "StarClan said they'd be here last night."

"There wasn't any danger was there?" someone with a young voice muttered. "She was just telling stories to get out of trouble, wasn't she?"

I looked and saw it was Rosepaw asking his mentor Pricklethorn. The dark splotchy tom nodded. "Obviously. I didn't see or hear any other cats."

Bramblestar flicked his ears toward them and just looked at me. "Were you lying to us? Were you and Lakefrost in on this, this little joke?"

Nothing about his voice was jolly. I wanted to cower. How could I have been so wrong? Why wasn't anything happening? This whole moon had been pivoting on this moment, the night with the Dark Night and the full moon. I hadn't thought anything would happen afterwards. I hadn't realized the night might never come, that the Dark Forest would trick me, trick StarClan into believing they'd come on a night and then change their minds.

"Fawnfur," Bramblestar meowed when I could give no reply. "I banish you. I exile you from this Clan for making us believe in a horrible danger. For lying to us and working with another Clan. You've shamed us in front of the whole Gathering, the whole lake. Leave now."

I stared up at him, my eyes growing wide. What had he just said? Banished?

"If any cat sees this traitor again, you may attack her like a rogue and chase her from our lands," my former leader continued, turning away from me.

"No, no," I protested standing up. "You can't do this! You can't exile me!" I snarled. "I've done everything to help you."

"This hasn't helped!" he snapped back, whirling on me. "There is no Dark Forest here. We are safe and the night of the Gathering is over. You see?"

He waved his tail and I looked at everyone in my clan just staring at me. The supporters I'd gained last night for finally telling them everything I'd done that moon, reviving their faith in me. I'd lost everyone again. They stared at me in confusion and hurt that I'd lie to them. And my heart ached. I hadn't lied. But I had. No enemy was here. We had not been attacked.

And the cats that had never believed me? They gazed at me with contempt and turned away. Owlface stared at me with his lip curling in disgust. Pricklethorn just leered at me, looking ready to attack me now. I looked at my mother. She stared at me, anguish in her eyes as she lost another kit. My sister. . . her eyes were so dull. She stared through me, unreadable if she were ashamed, justified, horrified, or glad I was leaving.

"You can't banish her," Jayfeather was the only one to speak up for me. He stood by my side, staring Bramblestar down, which was a good feat as he had no real sight to do it with. Bramblestar looked at him.

"Your apprentice lied to you," Bramblestar reminded him. "You've just seen that everything this moon, everything she's led you to believe is not something a sane cat would come up with."

"She wasn't lying," Jayfeather spat.

"Jayfeather," Bramblestar's voice got louder. "No more. It is finished."

"I'll leave."

Bramblestar stared and the whole clan got as still as the lake on a windless day. I stared at my mentor. His voice was so quiet I wasn t sure I had really heard that.

"I'll leave with her if you exile Fawnfur," Jayfeather told the ThunderClan leader.

"Dovetooth, Pricklethorn," Bramblestar meowed, his eyes closing. "Take Fawnfur out of camp. Squirrelflight, Lilyblossom, make sure Jayfeather doesn't follow or go anywhere."

Slowly the named cats got up. They uncertainly approached. I watched the two flank my mentor. He snarled at them, but they didn't react, just brought out their claws, standing in his way as Dovetooth and Pricklethorn came towards me. Pricklethorn looked satisfied as he came toward me.

"Are you going to fight or go quietly?" he asked me.

I looked at everyone again, but no one but my mentor was willing to stand up for me. I swallowed, my throat and eyes hurting. I turned away, padding for the entrance. What reason was there to stay? I'd failed. I had been wrong. I really was a liar, tricked by StarClan and by the Dark Forest.

I passed underneath the bramble bush the sharp thorns near my sides. I could feel the warm pelts of my escort behind me. Suddenly, as I glimpsed the forest beyond the tunnel, I realized what I was now. An exile. A cat without a Clan, no one to protect me, no one for me to care for. What could I do? What was left for me? What sort of life could I a lone medicine cat's apprentice even do?

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**What is going on? Why didn't the Dark Forest show? You'll just have to wait until next time to find out!**


	15. Chapter 12: Sunstorm

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter_

_So, Sharpfang, from the last chapter . . . maybe that is his real name? That comment not make sense? Read on, dear reader-_

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Sunstorm and Redfur looked for the cat. She'd heard him, she just couldn't see him. He was hidden here, somewhere in the darkness. She peered beneath the thick undergrowth and then hesitantly gazed upward into the leaves. Nope, not there either. The shadows moved near a tree where thick vines curled over in something like a den. A cat sat in the dip near the roots, his fur dark and hard to see except when he moved and the lights on her fur highlighted him. White jutting teeth held her attention. These incisors jutted down to his chin, making him look like some ancient cat breed; broad-shouldered, large head, huge paws. But he was normal size otherwise.

"Why are you here?" the long tooth cat asked. "It's rare to see any StarClan warriors in this place. His eyes peered at them. She could see interest and longing.

"We came for a visit," Sunstorm meowed confidently. "I've never been here and wondered what it looked like."

"You want to stay?" the cat asked. He seemed amused. "Cats would give anything to leave but I think you want to stay."

"Not at all," Redfur snapped. He approached the other tom, his fur standing on end and his tail twitching. He loomed over the vine den as if seeking to push the other tom back inside.

"Hold on," the other cat meowed. He looked at Redfur sideways, but didn't move. "I'm not threatening you."

The ginger tom frowned and then backed away, giving the Dark Forest cat room.

"What's your name?" Sunstorm asked, walking to the former WindClan cat's side. She sat next to him, her ears still alert for any other cat they might not have seen. Even now this cat seemed to fade away, his fur disappearing in their light.

"I'm Longfang."

"I could have guessed," Redfur meowed.

Longfang seemed amused. "If you had, I would have told you another name."

Sunstorm tilted her head. Was that not his name then? Perhaps he'd changed it many times. Who knew how long he'd been one of the Dark Forest cats.

"So why are you here?" Longfang demanded.

"We want to know what you cats are up to," Sunstorm told him bluntly.

"Huh." It was more of a statement, not a question. He must not have been impressed. "You have a nice glow."

She looked down and tried not to shift uncomfortably. It just wasn't a good idea to have so much light. It made her too noticeable. It would be better to remain unseen in the Dark Forest. Now they had to figure out what to do with this Longfang. He'd give them away to the other cats.

"I wish I was in StarClan." The tom sighed and looked away.

"But you came here," Redfur told him harshly. "You deserved to be here."

"I know."

Sunstorm blinked in surprise and even Redfur looked taken back. This evil cat was admitting he was supposed to be in the Dark Forest? That he had done bad? It seemed odd. By the StarClan lake, she'd heard the Dark Forest cats all lived in denial, believing they'd done nothing wrong, that their way had been best for the Clan, that deaths were necessary.

"I- I killed for no reason," Longfang continued. "I was wrong. I know that now. I've been here for seasons. I don't even know how long. But being alone, I started doubting myself and my actions. Then Tigerstar called us. He brought all of the Dark Forest cats together and I could suddenly see what all the cats I'd terrorized feared about me. What was wrong with me. These other cats, they are awful, cruel, without shame or sympathy. I am them, they are me. They are evil." He swallowed, not even looking at them, his eyes locked onto his black paws. "I didn't realize it until I saw them. I know that I'm evil. I was wrong. I hurt my Clan and StarClan when I was alive. I want to make it up. I need to make amends for my. . . sins."

He stared at them with his golden eyes. They pleaded. "I don't want to stay here forever. I want to go to StarClan."

"Um," Redfur shifted. "We don't really have authority on that decision. But we could tell our leaders. Maybe they'd consider it."

Longfang smiled at them. His grin looked wicked. Sunstorm shuddered. But he really couldn't be bad if he realized he'd done wrong, if he wanted to make it up. It was just his teeth that made him seem scary.

"Then could you help us?" she asked him. "Help us find out what Tigerstar is doing? We could use your help."

He nodded. "I'll show you. Come on."

He stood up and moved away from his vine nest to the thick undergrowth. There were ferns, but those were choked out by thickets of thorns: thistles, bramble, gorse. Longfang started pushing his way through, ignoring as the thorns bit through his black and gray fur. He didn't flinch as if he didn't feel it although lines of dark blood leaked through. She just winced, her bleeding paw ached.

"Where are you going?" Redfur demanded.

"I'm taking you to the Dark Pool," Longfang replied, looking over his shoulder. "Move quickly before the bushes close back in."

She could see now that he was making a path through the thick thorns and weeds. There might be enough space for them to squeeze through. She hurried forward, but Redfur's claws caught her shoulder.

"I don't trust him."

She stared at him and nodded. "A part of me doesn't either. But we do have to give him a chance. Perhaps he is being honest with us. We have to trust him at least once."

"That once might hurt us."

"But we have nothing else to go on."

Finally he nodded and then let her go. The path was already closing in, the thorns leaning down. She walked on, carefully stepping between the branches and roots on the ground and trying to get away from the thorns, but they were still close, brushing her, but not quite tearing. Longfang waited ahead. When they caught up he continued on, making a path for them.

"What is the Dark Pool?" Sunstorm called.

"Our connection to the living. We can see them, watch the Clans, see their dreams. We can even talk to them. Kind of like the Moonpool. I've never seen that, but the cats I've spoken to say it's the same."

"I suppose," Redfur meowed. "I've never seen it either."

Sunstorm's ears flicked. She wasn't sure if that was true or not. Obviously he hadn't seen it while alive, but he'd never been there as a StarClan warrior? Admittedly, neither had she, but Hazeltail had spoken about taking her there to visit her sisters. Now that would never happen.

"That reminds me," Longfang meowed. He turned and faced them. "I never did hear your names."

His golden eyes narrowed. They stood in a very small open area, long thorns pointing toward them, the trees leaning down, the red and yellow leaves oddly still. There were little rivets everywhere in the dirt, cracks of a dried river.

"I'm Firepelt," Redfur said before Sunstorm could speak. "This is - Dawnflower."

Sunstorm's ear twitched and she glanced at him. Now they were taking on fake names? Well, it would make sense that Redfur didn't trust this tom, so maybe this was a good idea. Hopefully Longfang hadn't heard his hesitancy when he made up her new name.

"Well, Firepelt and Dawnflower. There is one thing I will tell you about this place. Watch out for the stinging ivy." He looked at one of the bushes. It was the only one without thorns, the leaves were jagged edges and long, three leaves to a stem. She looked at it, wondering what was bad about it.

"If you touch it," Longfang continued. "Your skin with itch and burn. And when you try to lick it off your tongue will swell and you won't be able to breath for a while." With that he turned away and walked on.

Sunstorm eyed the stinging ivy plant, her eyes wide. She followed after him, trying furiously to remember it in case she ever met up with it again. What he'd told her was terrifying. There wasn't anything like this plant in the living forest or in StarClan. No wonder, the Dark Forest was meant to be punishment and a bad place.

The dark black and gray tom led them through the forest, passed various dead trees and gaps in the ground. Through clearings and around towering rocks. She looked around in awe. The golden and red and yellow leaves glinted above, catching the light from her fur, seeming just to scrape the black sky looming above. The place had its own type of beauty. A very scary one, but it held her interest. Finally he started down a slope. Little rocks trickled away from their paws, tumbling down to the dip below. The ground around them was completely bare, no trees or plants. She concentrated on not slipping or falling and didn't realize they'd reached the bottom until Redfur gasped. She looked up, her heart racing.

Redfur had his eyes on some black thing at the bottom of the slope, a ring of smooth stones surrounding it. Sunstorm stared and blinked, realizing it was moving. Little waves dipped and crested, ripples moving outward from the dark center. It was water, she realized. Her dry throat suddenly ached, but she didn't want to drink from this puddle.

She looked at Longfang. He was staring back at her. "This is it?"

"Yes," he nodded. "The Dark Pool."

She looked back down. It was so odd that this small thing, perhaps only two cat lengths wide was the power of the Dark Forest, the way they were going to attack the living. It made no sense to her.

"So how can we fill it in?" Redfur asked. He dug his claws into the ground, trying to loosen the hard, hard dirt. Thin slits crumbled, but it wasn't deep, certainly not enough to fill in the Dark Pool.

"There isn't any way," Longfang meowed simply.

Sunstorm's eyes went back to him. He was watching them, his eyes half closed, his long front teeth revealed even more in an odd smile. Pebbles trickled around them. one rolled and landed next to her paw. She looked up one of the slopes and saw cats appearing from the thorny bushes. They all seemed to be dark furred, even the ones with while and ginger pelts. They were like phantoms made from shadows, their eyes glowing, claws out, catching the lights from the star chips in her and Redfur's pelts. She realized they were surrounded. She stared at Longfang who just tilted his head in a sort of bow. She knew then they'd been betrayed. He'd lead them here to be caught.

Redfur stared at her then at the cats who were starting down. There was no way they could fight so many and win. But she wouldn't give up. She stood, her claws coming out and her fur on end as one of the she-cats came closer. She pounced, her legs thrusting away from the hard earth. She slashed down with her claws, aiming for the she-cat's face.

Another cat leaped from the side, knocking Sunstorm over before she could land a blow. She tried to get back on her feet, but a third cat was there, holding her down. A rock dug into her side. She twisted onto her back and started tearing with her back claws as her first attacker bared down, aiming for her face with his teeth. She pushed him off and snapped at the cat by her shoulders.

She heard Redfur cry out in pain and it wasn't long before she echoed him. A cat had her tail gripped in her mouth, biting hard while another tore his claws down her side. She kicked and struggled, managing to get upright, clawing faces and chests as she attempted to get through. But it was hard. The slope was difficult to climb up and there were too many bodies everywhere.

"Enough."

She heard the low command. The Dark Forest cats slowly backed off, blood leaking from a few. She stood there and heaved, trying to get her breath, feeling exhausted and hurt all over. She glanced around and quickly saw Redfur's shining pelt, then him as he got to his feet, one paw tight to his chest. She looked for the cat who had stopped the fight . A dark brown tabby stood at the top of the slope. By his side was a similar tabby with a white chest and blue eyes. He caught her look and just stared down at her, no pity in his eyes.

"Take them away," Tigerstar ordered. "We don't need them interfering."

"Where should we take them?" a tom asked.

"To the caves," Tigerstar meowed. "And gather the others. We need to prepare for the invasion."

He turned away, disappearing back into the bushes. Hawkfrost stayed behind and ordered four of the cats to surround Sunstorm and Redfur. The rest of the Dark Forest paced near the Dark Pool, while the StarClan warriors were escorted from the slope. Sunstorm gasped for breath at the top, not much better than Redfur who had to use his hurting paw to get up.

Hawkfrost continued to lead them, seeming very happy if Sunstorm could judge by the quick and bouncy walk he displayed. His tail swung side to side as he pushed through the jagged thorny bushes. They soon reached a hill. There between two boulders was a dark hole. The opening was jagged, little roots danging through the clumping dirt.

"Put the prisoners in," Hawkfrost ordered.

Sunstorm was pushed by Longfang although she dug her claws into the hard ground. He lowered his shoulder and shoved. The darkness swallowed her, but it quickly faded in her light to reveal a round chamber, branches of tunnels leading away. Redfur bumped into her and she stumbled farther in. Sunstorm turned around and saw two cats facing inward, watching her. She could see them silhouetted against the dark light of the Dark Forest. The stars in her fur lit up their dark faces, making their eyes glow.

"You okay?" she whispered to Redfur. He nodded, but she nuzzled his broken paw anyway, ignoring his question if she was hurt.

"You three stay here and guard these StarClan cats," Hawkfrost ordered, his tail waving to a white tom, to Longfang, and to a dark gray she-cat with white specks. They looked at him and frowned.

"But we want to go to the battle," the white tom argued.

"Well you won't get to go," Hawkfrost growled. "You still haven't been excused for using the Dark Pool out of turn."

"Eveningbreeze-" Longfang spat.

"She will be caught," Hawkfrost snarled. "She will be punished for her misuse and for training you three."

"Then isn't that grand," the white tom growled, his fur standing on end. "We get punished and the others get off lightly."

Hawkfrost snorted. "We only saw you three at the pool that day. Everyone else deigns use."

"And you believe them."

"Of course, Snowclaw," Hawkfrost smiled frostily. "Should we not trust loyal Dark Forest cats' word?"

He gave a low chuckle and walked off. The fourth cat silently followed as they disappeared into the undergrowth. The guards glared back into the cave at Redfur and Sunstorm. Redfur gently pulled her back. They walked inside, looking perhaps for a way to escape. They peered dopwn tunnels but mostly saw dead ends or the tunnel curved form sight, no light anywhere. Her head was full with the fight and with what the guards had just argued with Hawkfrost about. Apparently the attack on the Clans was coming soon and these three were being punished for some reason. And the name Eveningbreeze. It was familiar. She quickly remembered, as she'd been followed by the name most of her life although never having met hthe other she-cat before. She then wondered what that dark gray she-cat with a ginger belly had been up to and how she'd angered the Dark Forest's leaders.

"You can't get very far in there," Longfang called to them. "We can still see you, nice little star bugs."

"Shining brightly, golden stars  
Hold them in your paw  
Extinguishing the light  
Darkness grows"

The voice was singsong and high. It must have been the she-cat. The speech, poem, or whatever it had been, sent chills down Sunstorm's tail. Apparently she wasn't the only one bothered.

"Quiet, Cinderblossom," Snowclaw growled, turning his back on the cave and staring into the leaf-fall frozen forest. Redfur and Sunstorm were left within the caves, their own light the connection back to StarClan, knowing the invasion was soon, but unable to help the living Clans.


	16. Chapter 13: Lakefrost

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Disclaimer: Warrios by Erin Hunter

So I know I said you'd learn next time, but I wrote this while waiting for 2:40, wating for the eclipse. But there are some annoying clouds blocking my view. *Shakes fist at clouds*

Here you are a new chapter. Some what cute and some what suspenseful!

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**Chapter 13**

Most of the Clan was sleeping now, sheltered in their dens. He could hear soft breathing from the warriors and the apprentices were snoring. Only the kits seemed to be awake, wondering why everyone else was asleep and not out, why their mother wasn't playing with them. She did keep an eye on them, not wanting them to disappear again, but she didn't get much sleep, even with Mallowstalk by the nursery keeping an ear open. Fallingstar, Brownfeather, and the deputy sat near the Large Stump, speaking quietly, shifting and gazing around the fortified camp. Above, the sun rose in the sky, changing the olive green into a crimson and orange mixing with blue.

Lakefrost was awake, although Honeybee and Badgerface slept, exhausted by the night, having to tell Fallingstar everything and then helping to find vines, thorns, and branches to build up the camp. They fortified dens and the very few camp walls. ShadowClan wasn't a place full of undergrowth and Fallingstar now found that a disadvantage. ShadowClan worked with ambush and cunning and swiftness. It wasn't good when they were the ones ambushed.

Of course what was even more confusing was when the sun rose that morning without sight nor scent of an enemy Clan or of the Dark Forest. Everyone had been uncertain, staring around in confusion and then looking at Lakefrost doubtfully, but Fallingstar simply said the Dark Forest must have known they were warned. They'd attack on another night when the Clans were least expecting it. So she sent them all to their dens to get some rest, scheduling a hunting patrol for later.

He sat by the warriors' den, another look out. He'd asked Fallingstar to be the one awake, he couldn't sleep. He'd been shocked when the Dark Forest didn't show. The full moon had finished without incident. He'd broken up the Gathering for nothing, and he felt bad about it, wondering how Fawnfur was He got his answer.

The bushes near the camp entrance rustled. Fallingstar and her companions looked up, their claws coming out. Lakefrost knew it would be silly for the enemy to attack from the entrance, but he still tensed up, a growl starting in his throat. Then she came out. Her ginger and brown tabby pelt was ruffled and dusty. She walked stiffly, hunching over as if in pain, her eyes wide and staring. She didn't seem like the same cat who'd left the island last night.

Lakefrost rose, hurrying to her side.

"Fawnfur," he meowed, nosing her side.

She looked at him dully. Fallingstar was soon there.

"What happened?" The ShadowClan leader demanded. "Is ThunderClan all right? I just knew it; the Dark Forest targeted one Clan while we were separate!"

"No," Fawnfur murmured quietly. "Nothing happened. They're safe."

"Then why are you here?" Fallingstar asked, seeming confused.

"I've been banished," Fawnfur choked out. "Bramblestar exiled me! Nothing happened last night. They didn't come! There was no Dark Forest and Bramblestar's right, I lied to everyone!" she wailed.

She sobbed and sat down, hiding her face. Lakefrost's stomach clenched and he looked at her, not sure what to do. She seemed like she was in pain, that she'd lost everything. Before he could come up with some kind of comfort, Fallingstar was curled around the former medicine cat's apprentice. She was licking the young she-cat's face, murmuring sympathy to her. This went on for a while as Fawnfur leaned into the leader's side. Finally she pulled away and just sat there, sighing.

"Why did you come here?" Brownfeather meowed when no one else would.

"I didn't have anywhere else," Fawnfur got out, looking at him. "They won't take me back. I know I was wrong now. There can't be any Dark Forest or StarClan. My Clan wouldn't even stand up for me. Bramblestar made sure Jayfeather couldn't come with me. He threatened to leave too. He's the only one."

She looked down and seemed as if she might start wailing again.

"You can stay with us," Fallingstar told her quietly.

Fawnfur looked at her with big eyes. "Are, are you sure? I mean, I'm from another Clan. And I was wrong about the Dark Forest. They aren't attacking."

"Hush," Fallingstar whispered, licking her head again. "I will take you in. Bramblestar is a fool. There are more full moons to come, other Gatherings the Dark Forest can attack. You are a good cat. You were firm in your belief and tried to help ThunderClan. It is their own fault if they won't listen."

"But the past," Fawnfur muttered, looking up then away, her ears flattening.

Fallingstar was quiet, considering. Lakefrost didn't know what Fawnfur was referring too and just watched. Finally the ShadowClan leader meowed, "that doesn't matter. You tried to help me then, now I have to help you."

"Thank you, Fallingstar," Fawnfur meowed.

"So is she joining our Clan?" Tigerheart asked.

Fallingstar nodded. "If she wants to. But for now, I think we'll just take care of you, Fawnfur. Perhaps later, you'd like to go back to ThunderClan."

"Why?" the ginger-brown tabby demanded. "They don't want me. I lied to them. There must not be a Dark Forest at all. I must have dreamed it all."

"Fox-dung," Fallingstar growled. "My kits did not dream it. Neither did you. I know the Dark Forest will come. They want their revenge. They may just come tomorrow."

"But that wouldn't be a full moon," Tigerheart reminded her.

"Might be close enough for them," Fallingstar shrugged. "Besides, I think I've heard of there being two full moons in a row once and a while."

Lakefrost's ears went back. Really? So they could still attack. He was still shocked they hadn't last night, but he had accepted they might arrive on another full moon. But if they could really come the next night, a night when there wasn't normally supposed to be a full moon, that would startled all of the Clans. WindClan and RiverClan must have already doubted what they'd heard last night.

"Get some sleep," Fallingstar was meowing to Fawnfur. "We'll just have to wait and see. Everyone needs their strength for later. Lakefrost."

He looked up and stared at her. She nodded to him, slowly unwrapping from Fawnfur. He stood up and nudged the former ThunderClan she-cat guiding her into the warrior den.

"I'm sorry," she whispered to him as he clawed moss into a nest for her.

"What for?" he meowed.

"For lying. For causing this mess."

"Fallingstar already told you," Lakefrost reminded her. "The Dark Forest is just manipulating us. They will attack."

"How can you believe that?" she meowed, not lying down. He watched her gaze settle on his Clanmates as they slept, their sides rising and falling with every breath.

"Because I know StarClan wanted us to do this. They wouldn't lie to us about something this big," he meowed. "We just have to wait. I wanted it to be last night. I expected it and this morning I almost collapsed. It was just too shocking that they hadn't come. My Clan wasn't sure what to do either until Fallingstar made them see how devious the Dark Forest, full of evil cats, could be. They all went to their nests. But I'm sure she doubted us too, she made us explain again what we'd heard."

Fawnfur watched him. He stared back at her, hoping to make her see everything would be all right, that he had been affected and shocked, but that he would still go on believing until the night the Dark Forest finally came. He'd listen to Fallingstar. She was the voice of reason right now until StarClan decided to explain things.

"I'm glad you came here," he meowed, ducking his eyes and then looking back at her.

"This was the only place left," she whispered. "I had to know I wasn't dreaming, that someone believed me."

"We still do," he purred, licking her ear. "Now believe in us."

She nodded and sighed, laying down, curling slowly and then readjusting. Her eyes opened and closed and she looked around again. He lay beside her, his pelt against hers. He wondered suddenly what it would be like if Fallingstar had exiled him and his siblings, and possibly Ashpaw as well. Where would they have gone if Fallingstar didn't believe them and wanted them gone because they'd embarrassed her and 'lied' to her?

"Where would have you gone if Fallingstar didn't let you stay?" he asked. Her breathing had been even and for a moment he wondered if she'd been sleeping.

"To Summerheat Camp," she finally answered. "I think they'd let me stay. As far as I know, they accept any Clan cats."

"Then if this doesn't work out," he meowed. "If we really are wrong, let's go together."

"All right." She didn't laugh about it. She said it so quietly that he was sure she was starting to doubt herself again. He sighed and shifted. It wasn't long before his eyes closed and he fell asleep into dreams.

_**-Line-**_

"Come hunting!"

Ashpaw stared at Fawnfur with white yellow eyes, a smile on his young face.

"I-I don't know," she got out.

Lakefrost watched her look around camp as if asking for help. No one did save her, they had work to do this sunhigh. The camp still needed fortifying and other cats were training or sharpening their claws. Fallingstar had a few hunting patrols out, it seemed Ashpaw was on one.

Fortunately, the cats of ShadowClan had accepted exiled Fawnfur. Once they heard her story, they felt sympathy for her and weren't about to chase her out. They had angry ridiculing comments for Bramblestar. He'd gotten rid of a medicine cat. Even an apprentice had more knowledge about StarClan. She'd know these things and yet he'd been convinced she was wrong. The Clan didn't like that and welcomed Fawnfur in. Even if they didn't have much time to be friendly or talk with her, Lakefrost could still see she felt at peace. Now Ashpaw was taking a step in the right direction.

"I'm not really a hunter," Fawnfur told the apprentice.

"But you aren't a medicine cat anymore," Ashpaw argued. "And you know how to hunt. Come on!"

"Ashpaw," Brownfeather walked over. "Don't bother her. She doesn't need you to talk off her ear."

Fawnfur bit back a smile as Ashpaw frowned at his mentor, muttering something about being nice.

"Lakefrost," Brownfeather turned to the gray tabby tom.

He looked up.

"Stop stand around watching Fawnfur like a mother badger," the brown warrior meowed. "Come on the patrol with us."

"I'm not staring," Lakefrost defended himself. "I'm guarding the camp."

"Against inside threats?" Brownfeather scoffed. "You'll be more useful hunting. Fawnfur, you can come too. It might be good to get out of camp."

She slowly nodded. "I guess I am in the way."

"Nonsense," the older warrior told her. "You should just be relaxing. Your job is done. Leave it to the fighters."

She sighed. "I'll come."

"I'll come too," Lakefrost meowed.

Ashpaw's eyes twinkled and he smiled at Lakefrost. "Lakefrost and Fawnfur sitting on a cloud, l-i-c-" He shrieked and ran for the camp walls as Lakefrost pounded after him. The gray tabby tom could hear both Brownfeather and Fawnfur laughing.

Later that day most of the Clan sat around camp, sharing tongues. Knotfur and Fawnfur sat side by side talking quietly. Lakefrost tried to keep an eye on them, but the two kits were tumbling around the freshkill pile and then pouncing on him, even when he walked over to a different part of camp. They seemed to have heard he'd seen StarClan and when they weren't attacking his tail they wanted to know more about the starry warriors. He told them but still they followed him around. Batwing and Mallowstalk stared on with amused smiles. Lakefrost just felt annoyed but he couldn't do anything about it, until the kits got bored with him, he wouldn't be left alone.

The moon was rising over the tops of the trees. It wasn't quite evening, the sun was still half way on the horizon, but there was the moon, a pale orb slashed by the branches and speckled by leaves. Honeybee asked the question everyone else was thinking. "Is it full? Are they going to come?"

"No," Flametail answered. "It looks nearly full, but it's not. I can see a very small piece is gone."

The whole Clan sighed and murmured to each other. It wasn't quite in relief, but there was a tinge of disappointment. If the full moon wasn't tonight, they'd have to wait until the next Gathering. But Lakefrost felt as if he'd been saved. He wasn't ready for any battle. The Clan could do so much more to prepare. They could contact the other Clans, decide on where they'd all go when they were ready to challenge the Dark Forest, and they could all fight together. He had a feeling the moorland would be a good place to fight, not too many trees in the way and a lot of cats could join, but ThunderClan would be good to, with thick undergrowth to block some attacks.

Lakefrost continued to think of battle plans, but when he finally looked up he noticed how miserable Fawnfur really did look. She probably thought StarClan had failed her again. He went over to comfort her. Eventually most of the warriors retreated to the den, and only a small group when hunting. The stars apeared in the great black above where a lone owl swooped between the trees.

"Do you like it here?" he asked her.

"It's nice," she told . "Everyone is friendly and accepting."

"That's what Fallingstar said when she left ThunderClan," Lakefrost smiled.

Fawnfur just smiled back. Her yellow eyes rose to the sky. He saw her frown, her ears twitching. "Does the moon look different to you?"

He glanced up. The moon was higher in the sky and it looked less full than it had just that evening. He frowned at it. It couldn't have gotten smaller. That just wasn't possible. It must have always been like that. He just shrugged in reply and she sighed, shaking her head.

"I guess I'm just hoping for something."

"It's always good to hope," he purred to her. Just then the hunting patrol got back. They came inside the camp, carrying various prey. Instead of placing it on the freshkill pile, Olivespot took her mouse to the nursery and Dappleflower went into the elder's den. The two watched the patrol return and nodded to them as they went inside the warriors' den for the night.

"I wish I could help my Clan," she whispered. "I feel bad about giving up on them. I know they cast me out, but, I feel as if I should have done something more. I just think I'm missing something," Fawnfur sighed. "Something vital. I think it had something to do with what Brownfeather said earlier to you. I just wish I could remember." Her ears relaxed and her eyes went blank. He stared at her, wondering what was wrong. Suddenly she gasped and her eyes got back their light. "That was it! Inside threats!"

"What just happened?" he meowed, tilting his head. "What are you talking about?"

"Why didn't I think of it," she shook her head. "I never realized I could look and see when the Dark Forest had contacted the living."

He just stared at her, not understand. See 'when'?

She closed her eyes again without another word. He watched her body grow still, her breathing calm as if she were sleeping, but her eyes didn't move. She stayed that way for a long time, her mouth growing relaxed, her head drooping. During which, Honeybee approached, looking like she wanted to ask something. She paused while Fawnfur appeared to sleep.

"Is she doing that again?" his golden sister asked.

"Doing what?" Lakefrost demanded. "I have no idea what's going on, but she seems to think she can see something that's already happened."

"She can," Honeybee shrugged.

Lakefrost just stared at her, wondering when the world had gone crazy and why he was only just noticing.

He felt more than saw Fawnfur grow tense. Her eyes opened but they continued to stare into the distance, yet the edges were crinkled as if in stunned shock.

"I have to go back," she meowed suddenly. She got to her feet and started for the entrance of the camp.

"Why?" Lakefrost asked. He got to his feet, following her, still not sure what was going on.

"I suddenly know who it is. I have to stop her. And StarClan spoke to me. They need us tonight."

"The Moonpool?" Honeybee asked, quickly coming after, not seeming confused at all.

Fawnfur nodded. "Go there. I'll meet you if I can."

Lakefrost stared between the she-cats, wondering what he was missing. Then Fawnfur left the camp, disappearing into the dark. He shook his head, wondering if he should follow or not. He started to, but Honeybee was already walking to the warrior's den.

"What are you doing?" he demanded, torn between who to follow.

"Waking the others," Honeybee meowed. "We need to get them up to go to the Moonpool. Go tell Fallingstar where we're going."

So reluctantly he went to the Large Stump and told his leader what had happened. But as he was done and she agreed to let her children go, her eyes peered out of the wooden den. He could see the moon reflected in her green eyes. She blinked and continued to stare. When he turned around, he noticed how even more of the moon was gone. Half of the moon was cloaked in darkness, dimmed as if something were covering it.

"Go," Fallingstar told him. "I'll wake the Clan. I think the Dark Night is here."

_**-Line-**_

The moon behind them darkened slowly as if it were going through all the phases at once. He could feel it at his back, arching higher, the darkness growing around them. The Dark Night had come and perhaps ShadowClan were the only ones to know. Unless Fawnfur got back to her Clan and warned them in time. He still didn't think it was a good idea to let her go back on her own. They might hurt her, but there was nothing he could do. StarClan wanted them now, perhaps to give them the secret of how to defeat the Dark Forest after all? He certainly hoped so. He'd rather be with his Clan now to fight the evil cats than climbing the slope between WindClan and ThunderClan.

The water flowed beside them, a loud gurgle as it bubbled over the rocks and next to the muddy banks. Honeybee was beside him, Mallowstalk leading the way. Behind them came Badgerface, a silent shadow. They didn't talk, just saving their breath as they got higher. By the time they got over the rocky hill, the pool below in the dip surrounded by cat prints, the moon was only a crescent of light.  
"Do we wait for her?" Lakefrost meowed, looking around the hollow, expecting Fawnfur to show at any moment.

"We don't have time," Mallowstalk told him. "She'll meet us there."

So they bent their heads and lapped the cold water from the pool. As they laid down, Lakefrost glimpsed the last of the moon disappear. From the center of the dark orb, a copper color began to spread. His eyes sank down and he knew only darkness.

There were flashes of light in his dream, like lightning on a dark stormy night. He thought he could see cats with stars in their fur fighting black shadows. The shadows seemed to be winning, pushing the starry warriors back from a lake's edge and others from a smaller pool. Just then from the edge of the misty fight he thought he saw a she-cat crouching. Her ginger belly was bright and it drew his attention. She saw him and grinned as if pleased by his coming.

"They cannot win," she whispered, her voice echoing through his head. "They don't know how. They know nothing of the Dark Pool."

She laughed again and plunged back into the dark bushes behind her. Lakefrost glanced over at the large field surrounded by trees where the battle raged, where fighting cats had stars in their pelts, and where stars blazed overhead. But he couldn't stay; he turned back to the Dark Forest thick with undergrowth. She'd said a Dark Pool. He hurried after her, hoping to catch up.

He suddenly noticed that his siblings were at his side. He could suddenly feel a cold breeze through him, the hard ground beneath, his feet becoming tangled in thick thorny undergrowth. The trees over head were rich with leaf-fall color. Far away the sounds of the battle came, but he ignored them. He had to follow this she-cat.

He could catch a glimpse of her dark gray tail ahead as she ran through the undergrowth. Suddenly it disappeared behind a veil of vines. He pushed through, panting, his legs stinging with scratches. By the time he and his siblings got through, the she-cat was waiting. She sat, wreathed in a smoky fog, watching them.

"Eveningbreeze," Honeybee growled when they stood before her.

"Hello, kittypet," Eveningbreeze smiled.

Lakefrost's ears went back. How would she know? She seemed to read his mind, staring at him and then to the others.

"I know all about you, the chosen warriors from StarClan. My contact was very reliable."

Mallowstalk growled. "What is going on? Why are we here?"

"Perhaps my contact will explain. Would you like to meet her?"

Eveningbreeze turned her head and looked at a dead tree which had been split in two. From the base strolled a cat. She wasn't like Eveningbreeze, who faded away as if part of the shadows. This new cat looked like Lakefrost and his siblings- real, living. He first saw her ginger-brown pelt. Then he saw her yellow eyes. A familiar smile on her face.

"Fawnfur," he whispered, his eyes growing wide. "It's you? You're the ThunderClan traitor?"

She laughed a familiar laugh and her voice was achingly beautiful. "Of course. Who else could hold off your victory for so long?"

* * *

**Hey, I've been trying to think of names for the three ShadowClan apprentices, tell me which sounds better and vote on the poll on my profile if you can:**

**Ashpaw- Ashpelt, Ashtail, Ashfall, Ashclaw**

**Wrenpaw- Wrenfeather, Wrensong, Wrenear, Wrenspot**

**Bluepaw- Bluefern, Bluecloud, Blueheart, Bluefang**


	17. Chapter 14: Fawnfur

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Disclaimer: Wariors by Erin Hunter

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Nope, never did see that eclipse, waited up for nothing.

Sorry for the long chapter.

Dedicated to my one and only reviewer: Firestar111

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This reviewer gets a Lakefrost on skis plushie and Fawnfur in a santa hat! In celebration of Winter!

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**Chapter 14**

When I woke up, an odd taste lay on my tongue. I opened my eyes and there was darkness. When I breathed, a smoky haze rushed through me. I coughed at how burned it was. Perhaps this was where the awful taste came from.

The trees around me were dark and tall. For a moment I thought I was still in ShadowClan as there were pines and spruces, but then I saw the other trees. Golden and deep copper leaves hung down on stem tips and above, there were no stars. A great sky loomed just over the tips of the leaf-fall trees. I could only stare in shock, wondering how much time had slipped away.

I could remember leaving ShadowClan, walking away from Lakefrost, knowing clearly what I'd planned to do. Return to ThunderClan because I couldn't leave them alone to the Dark Forest. But there had been something else.

My head ached and I closed my eyes. What was I forgetting? Still lying down and my eye closed, I tried to recall what it was. I could see myself cross the border, I could remember the strong scent of ThunderClan everywhere as if defying that anything was wrong. But I couldn't remember the camp. I don't think I made it there. Something had happened.

Darkness rushed through me like a swift cloud and I flinched. I retreated from my memories and looked around at the odd forest I was in, wondering how I'd gotten here and where "here" was. I couldn't stay. I still had to get back to my Clan. I got up, my legs shaking as if they didn't want to hold my weight. Waiting while I recovered, I stared at the thick undergrowth that grew every-which-way, some tall, others short, some curling over like new ferns, but all tightly tangled together like a net. It would be hard to push through. Again, it seemed like I was in my territory, but not. I looked upward, but there were no stars; now that I looked, there was no moon. I felt terror. Had it already happened? Was the moon completely gone, swallowed by the Dark Forest's power?

Behind me was a thick wall of vines, tangled together, draped across the ground, undergrowth twisted together in the trailing, leafy things. I couldn't even see the trees behind them. Not knowing what lay in that direction, I walked in the opposite one. I pushed through the undergrowth in the less concentrated areas, high stepping where I could and ducking other places. There were still thorns and they cut through my fur, scratching my skin. I flinched away, just falling into another bush. Perhaps I was making too much noise because I hadn't gotten far when I met a patrol. They forced their way through the bushes and stems like a snake through the water.

"What have we here?" asked a silver she-cat with gray and white splattered markings.

I looked up into the glowing eyes of four cats amused by my plight. One she-cat and three toms. One brown tom sniffed me over and I stood very still as if maybe they'd forget about me, or suddenly not see me.

"Is it a new one?" he asked, glancing at his leader and then back at me.

They all just looked at me, considering. I stared back, not sure what they meant.

"No," the silver she-cat replied. "She can't be new. She isn't one of us. If she were, she'd be arguing, trying to take control. Also, her fur would be darker."

I looked down, examining my fur. The same ginger-brown color, tabby stripes along my back and legs, a small white patch over my chest. Then I looked at them. They did kind of look darker, edges blurry and shadowed even in the darkness.

"She's not another-?" the tom trailed off, looking nervous as he glanced around the shadowed trees.

"You," barked the silver she-cat.

I looked at her, my heart pattering rapidly inside. What was going on? Where was I and what were these cats?

"You're from StarClan?" the patrol leader demanded.

"N-no," I answered, surprised. Why would they think that? They weren't from any Clan I recognized.

"See, she's not," one of previously silent toms meowed, sounding pleased. He had a shaggy black and white pelt, the end of his tail curling delicately, but his fur was tangled with stems and thorns.

"Then what is she?" demanded the last. He had a whiny, nasally voice.

"Maybe she's like you," teased the black and white tom.

The silver she-cat and brown tom ignored them, glaring at me now.

"On occasion rogues end up here," the brown tom muttered, eyes narrowed. "Are you a rogue or loner?"

"Does it matter?" the she-cat hissed. "We need to take her back, put her in the caves. Tigerstar said capture all trespassers."

Finally the other tom nodded. Before I could even protest or say anything more, the two were on me. Their teeth buried into my shoulders without reservation. I yowled in pain as the blood ran. They ignored me, dragging me along. I struggled, but I couldn't move my front legs and my back were just dragged along behind. I was still in pain, but when I stopped struggling, it didn't hurt so much, so I just let them take me. As we went, the black and white tom and the whiny tom forged ahead, their bodies pushing through the thorns and undergrowth, forming a path. They were cut and little scratches ran with blood. Other things I hadn't noticed before caught my attention, like places where the fur grew wrong or was missing all together. They were used to a hard life, to these thorns.

We got to a hill in the middle of this odd dark forest with strange mean cats. At the base was a hole, two boulders on either side. A faint light shined out, highlighting curves on the three cats waiting outside: a black and gray tom with long fangs, a snowy white tom, and a gray she-cat with white spots.

They sat up as we approached, looking at me in interest.

"Here, another prisoner," the silver she-cat meowed, releasing me. I winced, my shoulder stinging now that it was released. The brown tom quickly took his teeth out of me too and sat down, cleaning off his muzzle. The three guards moved away from the entrance of the cave. I looked at it. Roots, some small and stringy, others as thick as my body, formed the entrance. Dirt hung off the plant bases as if it had been freshly dug. Perhaps this cave had been a series of dens at one time but was converted into a place for captive cats. The shaggy tom and whiny one started pushing me forward. I really didn't want to go in, but I didn't have anywhere to run, so I walked in. All the while, the guards and the patrol spoke behind me.

"I thought you were on your way to the Dark Pool?" the black and gray tom meowed.

"We were on our way," the silver she-cat replied. "We found her. She isn't StarClan."

"But when is the invasion starting?" snowy tom demanded.

"Soon," the silver she-cat purred, I could hear the pleasure in her voice. "The moon is quickly fading, can't you feel it? Soon we will go out."

She and the rest chuckled darkly. My ears went back, trying to listen, but I was inside the cave and it echoed. I knew there had to be more cats in here other than me. I was 'another prisoner' after all. I glanced over my shoulder at the cats, but the silver she-cat looked anxious to get to the Dark Pool. The guards seemed to want them to stay. I could see the white tom talking to the shaggy black and white tom, whispering as if trying to convince him to stay and guard instead.

I turned away and started down the cave. There were a few other tunnels but I wasn't interested in going down them. I wanted to find that light. It was faint, but growing stronger the farther I went back. It was behind one of the turns, down another tunnel. Brighter it got, and I squinted. I finally curved around one of the burrowing roots and came against the back of another cat. Over him (I knew it was a tom, I could smell him) I saw a very familiar ginger-brown she-cat with tabby markings and a white chest. But although she looked like me, she had little glowing flecks in her fur.

"Su-Sunstorm!" I squeaked, sounding like a kit.

Her yellow eyes widened and she stared at me. The ginger tom, also with glowing flecks turned, his fur standing on end, starting to hiss.

"No, Redfur," Sunstorm meowed, standing up, waving him down with her tail. The tom stop snarling and backed away, looking at me in utter shock as he realized I looked just like my sister. She ran forward, squeezing passed her companion to lick my face and nuzzle me. I winced when we she hit my injured shoulders, but she helped me clean off the blood.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, grinning happily.

"I was caught," I told her, just as happy to see her. I covered her with licks, bumping against her.

"Yeah," Sunstorm nodded. "But how did you get to the Dark Forest?"

I blinked. I was where? I was actually in the Dark Forest? That was so odd. I hadn't intended to come here as far as I knew, but again my head ached and the memory of black washed over me.

"I don't remember," I told them, frowning. "I just woke up here."

"Someone must have called you then," Redfur meowed.

I just tilted my head, not sure what he meant.

"We were talking to one Dark Forest cat before he turned on us," Sunstorm explained. "He said that they used the Dark Pool to talk to the Clans, call cats while they dream, and they're going to use it to invade."

"They really are?" I asked. "Truly?"

"Well, yes," Sunstorm nodded. "They've been planning for a while and we've been here at least one day. The three out there, Longfang, Snowclaw, and Cinderblossom, they're being left behind. We had to listen to them complain about it."

"I was thinking they wouldn't," I meowed quietly. "They didn't come yesterday, and that was the night of the full moon. StarClan said the Dark Forest would attack on the night of the full moon, the Dark Night. The Dark Forest never came."

Sunstorm must have heard the misery in my voice and she leaned into me. "How did you know about this?" she asked.

So I told her everything just as I had told the cats at the Gathering. She and Redfur listened and nodded. They were surprised that the StarClan leaders had contacted anyone. Then they told me their adventures. For a time I was glad to hear about them, to be with my sister once more. Since she'd died, I'd felt alone. Now I got to hear about her time in StarClan and learn she was as adventurous as ever. It was great. I got to escape from my own problems. And then I had to remember the lake was in danger.

"There isn't any way out of here," Sunstorm explained. "We tried to rush the guards earlier, but we didn't get far. Redfur has an injured paw."

He showed me his front paw. It was bent oddly and he usually kept it tucked against his chest. I examined it, nosing and then licking. I knew he was doing the right thing, not using it, but I wish I had some herb to ease the swelling and bind it tightly in cobwebs. I told him, but they didn't have anything in here either.

"We can try the entrance again," I answered. "With me, we're evenly matched."

They slowly nodded and we crept back to the entrance. I looked out, realizing just how dark it was. In the light from the starry flecks everything else paled in comparison, even the guard's fur looked more dull and dark, like they weren't real cats. They didn't turn, and I tilted my ears forward, listening.

"What do you think will happen when the cats die?" Snowclaw was asking.

"They die, mousebrain," Longfang growled.

"Yeah, but can they even get to StarClan? I mean, those weaklings are blocked off without the moon, so if the Clans die, how can StarClan guide them to the stars?"

Longfang seemed stumped.

"Drifting, lost, wandering  
Darkness blocking silver specks  
Alone without a cause  
Sneaking within the darkened trees  
Join our ranks lost ones."

I stared at the she-cat wondering if something were wrong with her.

"She usually talks like that," Sunstorm whispered. "Even those toms are annoyed with her. For a while they tried to make her speak in monosyllables. Didn't work."

"So they might come here?" Snowclaw worked out Cinderblossom's cryptic poem.

Longfang laughed. "That would be the day. Get nice little cats here. Maybe they'll change some hearts."

"Now you're just making fun of us," Snowclaw exclaimed, jumping to his paws. He snarled into the other tom's face. Longfang answered his challenge, quickly taking a swipe at him. But Snowclaw was fast, backing up and then leaping forward while Longfang was still swinging.

"Now would be good," Redfur reminded us.

We quickly charged forward. I might not have been a warrior for a while, but my blood got hot as I charged and I felt excitement shoot down to my tail tip and claws. I could remember a few lessons from Dewstep. How I had to keep my feet, don't look where you're attacking or it gives away your plans, make sure you know where and how you'll land, watch your back.

Sunstorm targeted the toms. While Snowclaw had Longfang's ear in his mouth, she landed on both, making them stumble and fall. Redfur ran out in a limping gait, aimed a swipe at a back leg and continued on. I had Cinderblossom. Her amused look changed to surprise as we attacked. I shoved into her then pulled back with my claws. I got her chest and she yowled, bringing her own claws up, aiming for my face. I dodged and followed after Redfur. Sunstorm had hopped off of the toms, springing for the forest. I raced after her.

"Where are we going?" I panted. The thorns were everywhere, cutting into me, tripping me. I was already lost. I wouldn't know the way back to the Clans.

"The Dark Pool," Sunstorm yelled back. "We can escape there. Maybe we can stop the invasion."

"It's too late!" Redfur yowled at us both. "It has to be, it's too quiet everywhere. They must already be attacking!"

"Then we have to seal the pool somehow!"

I could hear the three Dark Forest cats crashing behind us. They had an easier time because we were already carving out the path for them to follow. Suddenly the ground sloped beneath me. Startled I let out a half grunt half yowl, sliding down the plantless slope. I reached the bottom before the other two. I lay on the ground, dizzy.

Redfur reached me, helping me to my feet. I swayed and leaned on him. We both breathed heavily.

"You're right," Sunstorm meowed quietly. "No one is here. Look in the pool."

Then I noticed the darkness. It ebbed and flowed, silver on black, a ring of stones around it. Inside I could make out shapes and then a pale color entered. I was looking at a forest, trees of brown and white grew skyward to the deep blue, the few leaves shot through with dark green, but colored oddly. There were shadows among the tree roots and brighter cat shapes full of color and life were falling back against the dark tide. And in the sky. . . a full round moon was copper red. I gasped, staring down, suddenly recognizing the cats of ThunderClan.

"Hey!"

At the top of the slope Snowclaw leaned down, staring at us. The others were quickly by his side, fur mussed by the undergrowth.

"Hey, yourself!" Sunstorm yowled up. "Get down here and fight!"

Longfang pulled Snowclaw back before he descended. "They can't do anything."

"They could escape! What do you think Tigerstar will do to us when that happens?"

"They don't know how to use the pool, mousebrain!"

I stared back at it and suddenly the water darkened utterly. I blinked in surprise. Gold and red leaves filled my view, then I was through it and I could suddenly see a border. It knew it was a border because of the difference in territory. There were leaf-bare trees at the edge of a large lake surrounded by green grass, and there were stars fighting shadows. But through it all I could see a smoky pale shape that didn't glow and by his side were three others.

"Lakefrost," I breathed, watching him race away from the StarClan lake and into the Dark Forest. "No, don't!"

"What's the matter?" Sunstorm asked, turning to me.

"Lakefrost," I told her, starting at her. "He's here in the Dark Forest. I have to find him!"

"Then go," she told me. "Get him here. I think this is the only way out. We tried thinking ourselves into StarClan before, but we couldn't get there."

I nodded. I had to find my friends or they might meet some angry Dark Forest cats. Besides, they should have been helping their Clan survive. Yet something bothered me. Hadn't I told them to meet me somewhere? I couldn't remember. It was blocked off by a black memory, something I couldn't look passed, didn't want to look passed.

"We'll hold these three rats back," Redfur told me.

"Thank you," I told them both. I scrabbled back up the slope, the opposite side from the three guards. They'd have to go a long way around to get me, so they didn't even try, just glaring at me as I raced away, somehow sure I'd find my friends. I ran, leaping over the thorns, climbing over fallen trees. There just ahead was a sycamore, split down the middle, yet still alive. Beyond this light brown tree thick vines blocking off the rest of the forest. I could remember wakening by some vines. Perhaps that was the border of the Dark Forest? I knew Lakefrost was there with in the vines.

I pushed through feeling as if snakes were all around me. My ears twitched with the faint sound of voices. Then I saw cat shapes. I was out, the vines trailing heavily across my back. And I saw my sister.

"Morningsong," I meowed, confused.

She turned to me and then I could see the others. Lakefrost and his siblings side-by-side, horrified anger in his eyes that was slowly turning into shocked relief. And there on the other side of my look-alike-sister was a dark gray she-cat with a ginger belly. Eveningbreeze. She frowned at me, her muzzle turning from laughter to rage.

And then I suddenly could see passed the darkness in my mind. My gift of seeing the past overtook me

**_-Line to past-_**

_I closed my eyes, Lakefrost lying beside me. We'd just been talking about how welcoming ShadowClan was. And I found myself in the middle of ThunderClan territory, darkness above me, the stars shining, a crisp chill of newleaf. The leaves were just starting to unfurl in the trees. And I was another cat.  
_  
She stood there, rage in her heart. A faint white mist puffed from her nose, her teeth ached with how hard she clenched her jaw together. "Why did this have to happen?" she yowled, glaring at the stars in anger.

The new leaves on the trees did not hide the cold sky from her. She glared at StarClan in hatred. They'd let her sister die. They hadn't warned Sunstorm of the danger she faced on the patrol. She had the ability to see the future. She wouldn't have allowed herself to die. She should have known not to go to that stream, to jump out of the way before the branch came down. Why hadn't her powers worked? Why hadn't she seen it?

_Why didn't I?_ Morningsong thought, her mind suddenly bleak. The rage left.

"Why did I see it?" she whispered, lowering her head, letting the real reason for her anger to fill her. Why did she have to be told to know what had happened to her sister? When Millie and Berrynose met her just outside of camp, Morningsong had been unaware of the event. Why hadn't she seen it and been prepared? She had the power to see the present. Why hadn't see been warned, known before coming back to camp the same time as that patrol, suddenly spotting the limp body between the cats. She could still see her sister's face in her mind. Skin peeled from the muzzle, dried blood on the lake wet fur, the yellow-white of bone poking through. And there was Millie and Berrynose telling her about the death at the stream.

Her eyes burned, her throat choking.

No, she shouldn't blame herself. It had nothing to do with her. It was StarClan's fault, those great starry ancestors who gave them gifts that didn't work. StarClan had been working against her. Morningsong snarled up at those cold stars that probably really didn't hold any cat spirits.

"I hate you," she hissed. "I won't ever believe in you again! You did nothing to help! StarClan is a lie!"

"Hardly a lie."

Morningsong's head snapped to where the voice had come from. She could barely make out a dark she-cat hiding under a bush. The yellow eyes stared out at her. It was almost like she wasn't there at all. Even the other she-cat's ginger belly blended into the shadows.

"They haven't done anything for me," Morningsong growled, instantly tense. Something was wrong.

"But they're still there, you think?"

Morningsong didn't answer. Who was this she-cat and why was she there? She sniffed, trying to catch a scent, but there was nothing.

"Do you want revenge against them?" It was a polite voice and yet held meaning.

"I would," Morningsong meowed. Yes she wanted revenge. They'd let her sister die and had blocked her gift from seeing it happen. They were cruel to her so she would be cruel to them.

"I could teach you," the dark she-cat offered. Then her tail flicked. "You should get back to camp. I will see you again."

Then the she-cat faded into nothing. The shadows had just swallowed her.

"She was never really there was she?" Morningsong asked herself. She felt disappointed. At the same time she felt relief. She didn't like that strange cat. There was something odd about her, but revenge against StarClan interested Morningsong.

_Yet there were other meetings, I'd seen the others, the ones where Eveningbreeze and Morningsong met and my sister told the Dark Forest she-cat the secrets of the other Clans. When she spied on me and Lakefrost. Then how she convinced Pricklethorn and Owlface to help her, although they never knew they were working for the Dark Forest, believing they were protecting the Clan. My sister had slowly changed without me realizing._

_And then once again I was plunged back to the present time, yet it wasn't quite present. This was after moonrise, after my talk with Lakefrost, and after I'd seen the truth about my sister. _I watched myself approached the ThunderClan camp, but before I got there, before I got even halfway through the territory after leaving ShadowClan behind, a ginger-brown she-cat stepped from the bushes. She carried a dried poppy flower in her jaw. I stopped and waited while she set it on the ground. She wasn't surprised to see me. She must have realized I was coming.

"What are you doing?" I demanded.

She sat and looked at me, her yellow eyes still. She didn't really look like my sister anymore.

"I told you to leave it alone," she growled. "I told you to stop seeing Lakefrost."

"I can't, not when my Clan is in danger! StarClan wanted me-"

"StarClan StarClan," she mimicked, her voice high and mocking as she interrupted me. Then she snarled, "They can't do a thing. It's too late for them! The moon is being darkened."

I glanced upward. There in the sky, the moon more than halfway covered. One side was so dark as if a shroud of black mist had covered it. The other side glowed valiantly on. Still the darkness crept on like a slow cloud.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked. I had to understand. Why would my sister side with the Dark Forest, why would she want her Clan to be destroyed?

"Why are you here?" she asked of me, ignoring my question.

"I have to stop you," I whispered, looking down.

"I didn't want to involve you," she meowed. Her voice was quiet and softer. I looked back up and her eyes, once hard, were partly closed as if she were in pain. "I didn't think. . . I didn't think StarClan would call you, ask this of you. I had to stop you from doing this."

"I have to stop you," I answered, blinking in confusion. It was like she thought I was the one doing wrong, as if she were stopping me from helping the Dark Forest take over.

"But now," she continued as if she hadn't heard me, "You're too deep in. You refused to back off! I can't let you help those ShadowClan cats."

I was reminded I didn't have much time; I had to get to the Moonpool. StarClan had contacted me during my last vision, telling me that I and the others had to meet them at the Moonpool before the moon was gone. That they'd tell us how to stop the Dark Forest, what they were using to get to the living. But I'd told Lakefrost and the rest to go there, that I'd meet them. Confronting my sister had been important.

I wasn't paying attention to her, wondering if my friends were on the way. She leaped for me. I was so startled, I didn't defend myself. I just crumpled under her, struggling and squirming uslessly on the ground as her back claws tore into me. She kept hitting my head with her front paws, the claw tips barely out. And then she hit hard enough I laid still, dazed. She left me, walking off.

My eyesight hazed out and I just lay, dizzy, feeling like bile was in my mouth. I could just see her padding back to her poppy flower. The ginger-brown she-cat dipped down and picked it up, carrying it to me. She shook it roughly and the little black seeds scattered across the leaves covered forest floor. A few hit me and I flinched reflexively. She went jumping off after the scattered seeds, searching. She found some on moss leaning against a tree stump, carefully cupping them in her paw and hopping over, concentrating on not dropping them.

I was recovering and tried to rise, but she was on me, using her claws to pry open my mouth. And the little poppy seeds were on my tongue, sweet and delicate. Out of reflex I swallowed. And she backed up, watching me.

"How many?" I demanded, somehow knowing if I'd swallowed too much I would sleep and never wake up. The easing death. It was for fatally ill cats that needed a gentle way to go, that had no chance at recovering and being awake would cause them pain. If I'd taken more than five then I was doomed. I would sleep though, no matter what. Already I could feel drowsy, the pain from my aching head slipping away.

"Enough," she told me. _And then I closed my eyes. I didn't know anything else. My vision shifted now though and I could watch what I'd missed._

Morningsong waited until her sister was sleeping. She took Fawnfur gently by the scruff and dragged her to camp. She knew she couldn't take Fawnfur inside the camp. The others would just attack her. And she wanted to put her someplace safe so that when the Dark Forest cats came, they wouldn't kill her.

Morningsong dragged her to a tree, digging out the small dent between the roots. Her paws got muddy, the claws tearing bits of small stone. When it was deep enough, she put Fawnfur inside the dip and placed leaves over her sister, covering so no fur shown through. It wouldn't matter the next day, if that ever came, but for now, no passing cat or fox or badger should see or smell her sister. To make sure, she found some garlic flowers and brought them back, hiding the scents.

Satisfied she made her way back to camp. She was the only night guard tonight. She was supposed to be there, to warn of danger. No one would miss her when she didn't go back to the warriors' den. They were all sleeping snuggly. She passed by the gorse and bramble entrance and walked to the top of the quarry. She peered down, but it was too shadowed to see, and above the moon was only a crescent of light. She ducked under a bush and closed her eyes, stilling her breath until she was almost asleep, only the thoughts of the Dark Forest in her head.

Eveningbreeze was there when she opened her eyes. It was a secret little nest high in the branches of two leaning trees, made from mud and leaves. It looked like a squirrel's nest, but no cats on the ground could see it. Eveningbreeze was safe here. Her sister, that annoyingly whiny Fernstripe had long since disappeared. Tigerstar had her captive somewhere, hoping to draw Eveningbreeze out so he could capture her.

"What are you doing here?" Eveningbreeze demanded, standing up.

"The moon is almost dark," she told the Dark Forest she-cat.

"I know, I was going to visit the Clans when everyone else was gone," Eveningbreeze meowed, her nose wrinkled. "That isn't news. Why aren't you with your Clan?"

Morningsong explained what her gifted vision had shown her. That Fawnfur had discovered the secret and that the ShadowClan warriors were on their way to StarClan.

"The fools," Eveningbreeze growled. "They'll never be able to talk."

"But they might," Morningsong meowed. "Even with StarClan fighting Tigerstar's elite, a few might talk to the four."

Eveningbreeze growled. "Fine. We'll stop them. Distract them until the battle is over. Let's go. I'll meet you at the sycamore near the vine border."

_Morningsong nodded and the two slipped down from the tree tops to the undergrowth below._

_**-Line to present-  
**_  
I opened my eyes, brought back to the present. I looked at my sister near the sycamore tree, remembering it all and finally understanding the line to the prophesy about the morning and evening destroying ThunderClan. It wasn't the night; it was my sister and an evil she-cat. I could only look at them in horror.

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**You want a cool plushie too? How about a Sunstorm plushie that lights up and glimmers? Called Glowing Sunstorm!**

**Then review! and you can get her, and Honeybee Surronded by Seashells. I know that has nothing to do with the story, but it will look pretty on your plushie shelf!**


	18. Chapter 15: Sunstorm

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter_

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**Chapter 15**

Sunstorm watched as her sister's tail disappeared above the ridge. She'd gone to find her friends who'd somehow managed to get into the Dark Forest. The undergrowth shuddered in her passing. Above there was only the black starless sky and the leaf-fall leaves that refused to fall.

"What do we do about this?" Redfur asked. He was looking at the Dark Pool. Just a short time ago Sunstorm had seen the lake Clans in the black water. She'd seen them fighting the Dark Forest. It seemed as if every evil cat had left and were fighting the living. The only ones left in the Dark Forest were the three ones standing on the slope above. She glanced upward at them. They sat glaring down at them, not wanting to rush below because they would be off balance, and yet not wanting to let the two StarClan warriors escape.

"I'm not sure," she replied, looking back at the ginger tom. "Doesn't it look different though?"

His brow furrowed and he glanced back at it. There was something off. They'd only seen it once. Afterwards they'd been ambushed by the Dark Forest cats and taken captive. Sunstorm thought it was good luck that had Fawnfur taken captive and put in the same place as they were. She was glad to see her sister. Yet sad that she'd been abandoned by her Clan. What was Bramblestar thinking?

"It's the rocks," Redfur exclaimed, drawing her attention back. "They're farther away from the water."

She narrowed her eyes and looked as well. The smooth ring of stones that surrounded the water's edge were moved back from it by at least a cat's tail. As she watched it looked as if the water level was getting smaller. It was smaller than three fox lengths across she'd last seen it as.

"It's shrinking!" she meowed.

"They must be using up the power," Redfur breathed. "Going to the living Clans through it must have used up the power."

"And don't forget," Sunstorm reminded him, "They have to be fighting StarClan. That will use more."

"What happens when it's gone, you think?"

"Maybe. . ." she let her thoughts run. "Maybe they have to come back here, and stop fighting below. At the very least they won't ever be able to use it again."

They smiled at each other, hoping that was true. But how did they get it to dry up faster?

"You StarClan cats are cowards," Longfang yelled, reminding the pair they still had company.

"Yeah right, tough tom," Sunstorm snorted. "You brought us here and had all your wonderful friends beat us up and take us captive. Now that's what I call being a coward. Not brave enough to face us on your own then, not brave enough now."

"Come on," Snowclaw snarled. "We can take them! Remember when they tried to escape last time? The tom's lame and she can't take on all of us!"

"I have a better idea," Redfur's voice rose above their bickering. "How about you just jump in the pool and go fight like you all want to."

There was silence as the three stared down at them.

"What are you saying?" Longfang demanded, his eyes narrow.

"Go fight the living Clans," Redfur shrugged. "We won't stop you from going to the lake. And we aren't worth taking captive again. We all know you want to be there, taking revenge, not with us."

Snowclaw looked at Longfang. "He has a point."

"I like the idea," Cinderblossom meowed, in the first regular sentence Sunstorm heard her utter.

"Right," Longfang nodded slowly. He looked down the slope at them. "Dawnflower, Firepelt do we have your word as StarClan you won't attack us or stop us from using the Dark Pool?"

Sunstorm was reminded Redfur had given the Dark Forest tom fake names. She was surprised he'd even remembered them.

"You have mine," Redfur nodded.

"What exactly are you doing?" Sunstorm hissed at him. "We don't need more enemies for the Clans to face!"

"Trust me," he smiled at her. "We need them to leave."

She sighed, closing her eyes and lowering her head. She didn't want to. She didn't want these cats to leave the Dark Forest and reinforce those below. What if they killed one of her past friends? She would be the cause of it. But she knew Redfur. He wouldn't do anything mousebrained for no reason. He obviously had a plan. She would have to trust him.

"Well?" Longfang demanded. "Dawnflower?"

"I won't fight you," she meowed slowly. "However, that's only if you don't attack us. If you do, I'll rip your ears off!"

The black and gray tom nodded. "I understand. Let's go!"

He actually sounded excited. He slid down the slope without another word. Rocks tumbled around him, rolling down to Sunstorm. She had to dodge a few. The other two shadowed cats came down after him. At the bottom, the light and dark cats eyed each other, the fur raising on their backs. Longfang slowly came forward, cautiously stepping around the scattered rocks and to the ring with the Dark Pool. He kept his eyes on them and Sunstorm made sure not to look away from any of them. She had her claws out just in case.

But they didn't do anything. The three reached the Dark Pool and stared in, peering intently, eyes tracking unseen movement.

"I got it," Longfang meowed suddenly.

He stood up and Sunstorm watched him place a paw inside the water. It sank deeply and then went farther as he placed both paws in. He sank to his chest and then he pushed off with his back feet, diving impossibly deep. It should have been shallow, he should have still been there, but he disappeared under the water. It rippled around his tail tip, shuddering blackness with constant ripples and he was gone. The other two followed quickly and Sunstorm and Redfur were alone.

He approached first, looking intently at it as if trying to find out where they'd gone.

"Well?" Sunstorm frowned at him.

"It got smaller, I know it did," he meowed. "Look, let's ring this and see how much smaller it gets. No, not those ones. New, we need to compare."

So she abandoned the rocks that formed the old ring and gathered more, carrying the dusty stones in their mouths. They quickly placed the stones around the water's edge, clawing them into the right configuration. She noticed as she did, the water shrank away from her. She watched it and then moved her paw over. The water retreated from her, as if it were drying. Even the mud around the edge got suddenly cracked and dried.

"Hey, look at this!"

She showed him what she'd found.

"Interesting," he meowed.

She agreed but it quickly got boring. They had to figure out how to get rid of the pool.

"Let's try burying it again," she meowed.

They both set to work, digging their claws into the hard earth of the slope. They kicked up dust and small runnels of crumbled dirt. It wasn't much, but the harder they scratched, the more dirt they had. Redfur had to stop after a while, clenching his front paw to his chest. She was reminded that it was broken. It wouldn't be any use. By the time they got enough dirt, the battle would be over. She did use the amount they had, scooping pawful by pawful over and dropping it over the pool. That too sank from sight. She wondered what cat just got dirt on his or her head. Then she wondered what dirt from the Dark Forest would even look like. Shadows? Would it have no effect on the living?

"Maybe we can find more Dark Forest cats," she suggested. "Convince them to go in."

"Everyone left," Redfur sighed, realizing how useless burying the pool would be.

"Not everyone," Sunstorm meowed. "I'm sure some cats wouldn't believe Tigerstar. Or others might scare themselves out of going. Some cats have to be out there."

"It would take too much time looking for them."

They sat there in silent, feeling gloomy. No matter what they'd try, it wouldn't work. It would all take too much time. But Sunstorm felt they couldn't just abandoned it. They had to get rid of the pool and stop the Dark Forest's power. So what could they do?

"You remember what happened when we went near it?" she asked.

"It shrank away?" he meowed.

"Yeah. Maybe it doesn't like our light," she continued. "Let's go to it and start glowing, see what happens."

"Worth a chance," Redfur's ears flicked. He stood up and limped over. They sat on either side of the Dark Pool. The Dark Pool was about one and a half fox lengths across. It was just a bit farther away from their second ring. They looked at each other and closed their eyes. Sunstorm thought about being light, that her fur would really glow. She remembered scaring away the two evil kits with the same trick. It brought a smile to her face.

When she opened her eyes again, her silvery light was everywhere, as though it were moon light or even many stars. The shadows retreated from them, leaning far away as possible. She looked down at the pool and watched as it started lowering even faster.

"It's working," Redfur meowed in surprise.

"Yep," she nodded. She didn't feel useless anymore. They'd gone to the Dark Forest for a reason. They'd gotten caught, but that just helped her meet her sister. She had gotten lost from StarClan to be here, to destroy the Dark Pool. She smiled and her star flecks became brighter. The light hurt her eyes, but she just squinted, smiling at Redfur. He still had his surprised look on his ginger face, but he looked satisfied. He smiled back at her and they just sat there, waiting for the pool to completely dry.

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**Sorry that it's not so long. It's more like a chapter to get ready for the next, and just to get rid of three useless characters (cough, I bet you know which ones).**


	19. Chapter 16: Lakefrost

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter_

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**Chapter 16**

"What are you doing here?" the cat that wasn't Fawnfur demanded.

Now that he looked closer, he could see the differences between the sisters. Fawnfur had a thinner look about her, brought on by how stressful that moon had been for her. She also had three little white dots on one of her ears. Why had he thought this Morningsong was her? They weren't alike. Fawnfur would have never been so deceptive. She cared about her Clan, even if they were jerks.

"I woke up here," Fawnfur told her sister.

"You aren't supposed to be here!" Morningsong snarled.

"Well, I am," Fawnfur hissed back, her fur starting to stand on end. "Why are you doing this?"

"Can't you just accept it?" Eveningbreeze laughed. "Your sister has sided with the strong, tossing you to the wind like a mouse tail."

Lakefrost and the others looked back at her. She'd been angry before, completely glowering when Fawnfur came through the vines, but now she seemed amused again, like this was no big deal. Lakefrost glared at her. She had made him doubt his friend. She was playing with them, dragging them out of StarClan territory to make him doubt a full moon friendship. To distract him from saving his Clan.

He growled and charged. "Be quiet you foxheart."

"Yeah!" Honeybee yowled. "You almost ruined our friendship and tried to get me to leave the Clan!"

"She's a liar," Badgerface growled "And she and the other Dark Forest cats are killing our Clanmates!" Mallowstalk hissed.

The four advanced and Lakefrost was glad to have his siblings by his side. There was no arguing or trying to get out of it now. They were together and they had an enemy they faced. An enemy that truly was evil and conniving.

Eveningbreeze took one look at their combined attack. Her ears went down, the smile leaving for an odd twitch. She turned tail and ran, pushing through the vines. They whispered at her passing. Lakefrost and the others were right behind her. He didn't even glance back, leaving Fawnfur to work out her problems with her sister.

They raced onward through the Dark Forest, trees of pine but also others with leaves grew tightly packed in ragged order. Thick roots thrust through the ground, the sky above a thick blackness without stars or moon. And as always, a thick smoky haze. Eveningbreeze was swift, knowing the territory, and she made it through the undergrowth all right. He and the others weren't used to the thick weeds and thorns and quickly fell behind. But they continued on even though the smoky, burning air of the Dark Forest made breathing tough and scenting even harder. It wasn't long before they reached an oddly bare patch of earth. She raced across, disappearing down a slope.

Lakefrost plunged down, almost losing his footing. He scrabbled, stones rolling and skittering with gravity to the bottom where a dark black thing moved and two glowing cats sat, their eyes closed, their fur looking as if it were on silver fire. The light danced across their bodies and poured onto the water, shadows leaning away from them if they weren't banished altogether. Eveningbreeze reached the bottom and just stopped, staring at these glowing cats as she panted. Her yellow eyes darted rapidly to them and to the pool that seemed to grow smaller as if shrinking away from the brilliant glow.

The closer Lakefrost got, the farther he had to squint and close his eyes. They were hurting being so close and he hadn't realized he was cold until the warmth of the glow surrounded him.

The two StarClan cats, (for what other cats had that glow?) opened their eyes with all the noise. The she-cat didn't waste time or breath. She leaped up and knocked Eveningbreeze's paws out from under her. The ginger tom came quickly around the side and took her back legs while the she-cat started to grab the gray she-cat's scruff. Then she seemed to see Lakefrost and the others. She paused for a moment and then stretched out across Eveningbreeze, pinning her to the hard, rocky ground.

The StarClan cats looked at Lakefrost and his siblings. The gray tabby had reached the bottom of the slope. He stood there panting and watching them. Eveningbreeze just seemed stunned. She was staring up into the colored tree branches, a confused frown on her face. Her eyes were starting to water and her fur looked even more like shadows with the two glowing cats on her.

His siblings slid to a stop beside him, facing this new threat, possibly wondering what they'd have to do to get Eveningbreeze from the glowing cats. Lakefrost could barely stop blinking and squinting, trying to get a better look at the cats he and his siblings faced. He peered at the she-cat, looking for her coloring. He suddenly started coughing, breathing back the saliva in his mouth. He could hardly get a breath, just staring at the she-cat he faced. Yet another cat who looked like Fawnfur was standing before him.

"Who are you?" the ginger tom demanded, staring at them from where he crouched, one paw twisted, the claws in.

"These have to be the four ShadowClan warriors Fawnfur was talking about," Sunstorm meowed, blinking at them.

Lakefrost wondered how she knew about Fawnfur and what the ThunderClan medicine cat apprentice had said about them. Then he wondered what the ThunderClan she-cat was doing now. Why had he just left her to face her sister like that?

Eveningbreeze struggled, seeming to recover from her shock. Everyone looked at her. Evening the glowing cats did, examining her.

"Chasing this ragged pelt are you?"

"What are you doing to the Dark Pool?" Eveningbreeze spat before Lakefrost could answer and explain what was happening.

"Drying it out," Redfur told her, sounding smug.

"Not possible," she growled.

"But look," Sunstorm purred. "It's already fading away."

Lakefrost glanced at what they called the Dark Pool. A puddle of something that might have been water. It was fluid and rippled and seemed like water, but it was totally black with lighter lines. Two stone rings were around it, one farther back the second inside, but the water wasn't touching the inner ring. The pool looked about a fox length across and getting smaller. So this was important to the Dark Forest?

"It's only because the whole of the Dark Forest used it to travel to the lake territory," Eveningbreeze growled back.

"Well it will still be gone, no matter what," Redfur snarled. "Then you and your friends will have no power over the living."

The dark gray she-cat started to heave and gasp for breath, shaking the two StarClan warriors on top of her. Slowly Lakefrost realized she was laughing. It was such a wild and heavy laughter that it scared him. His fur stood on end and he just stared as she grinned, her eyes so wide even though the silver glow had to be hurting them.

"You, you, know that when that is gone, these four nice warriors, oh make that five including your little sister," Eveningbreeze giggled. "They can't get back to earth or to the Clans."

"What do you mean?" Sunstorm spat, pressing down so her claws drew blood.

"They'll die here!" Eveningbreeze laughed. "No food, no water. Your spirits will be trapped here with us! Here in the Dark Forest!"

She laughed again. Lakefrost stared at Sunstorm. The two StarClan cats looked back at the living cats, horrified. Quickly their glowing faded, not completely, but less brightly and eye stingingly.

"Is that possible?" Badgerface meowed, tilting his head.

"This is bad," Redfur meowed, as if he hadn't heard.

"It has to be possible," Sunstorm nodded. "Although she could be lying. But there is a chance she's correct."

They were hardly glowing at all, just faint flecks along their fur.

"We have to get out!" Honeybee gasped, standing still and straight.

"Quickly," Mallowstalk growled.

"But Fawnfur!" Lakefrost protested as they walked to the Dark Pool. "And the Dark Forest cats! They're down there."

"Killing our Clans," Mallowstalk spat. "We have to get down there and help them. Coming here was useless!"

He had to agree with her there, and yes they did have to go back before that quickly shrinking pool disappeared. But they had to get Fawnfur too.

They were too distracted, arguing about going or not, finding Fawnfur, that Eveningbreeze wasn't being watched as closely. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her gather her back legs under her, kicking hard. The ginger tom yowled in pain, jumping up and hunching over his wounded paw. Sunstorm looked in his direction, but got a face full of claws. She recoiled as Eveningbreeze kicked her off. Lakefrost turned to fight, but Eveningbreeze was on her feet. She didn't even stop to face him. She ran on, pushing passed Badgerface and Honeybee, jumping straight into the black water. It seemed to cling to her to crawl up her sides as she sank deeper in. The last he saw of her were yellow glaring eyes.

They all stared where she disappeared into the darkness. Sunstorm seemed angry, licking Redfur's paw, but they didn't look like letting Eveningbreeze escape was a bad thing. They didn't talk about it again.

"You have to go," Sunstorm meowed, fervently. "We can't let you get trapped here. Leave, I'll get my sister. You just help the Clans."

"Come on, Lakefrost," Mallowstalk meowed. "Trust her. She won't let her sister get trapped here."

"Anyone know how to use this?" Honeybee meowed, tilting her head and staring into the water. "Where did Eveningbreeze go?"

Lakefrost slowly approached. All of them sat around the black water's edge, just peering in. He thought he could see something there. Perhaps Eveningbreeze would come back and drag them in? He shivered at the thought.

"Think of your bodies and going back," Sunstorm told them. "I think that might work. We watched some Dark Forest Cats use it and they were staring for a while before they went. They probably choose where to go."

"Sounds like it might work," Mallowstalk nodded, looking at Sunstorm and the pool. "I want Lakefrost to go first though."

He glared at her. "Why?" He seriously didn't want to drown in that.

"I don't trust you. You might turn around and try to rescue Fawnfur."

"She needs to make it here in time. We just left her with that crazy Morningsong. No offense Sunstorm."

The ginger-brown tabby she-cat narrowed one eye and frowned. He had a feeling she wasn't angry at him, just surprised at the news. No one had yet explained what both of her sisters were doing in the forest.

"You should get going," Redfur meowed quietly. "We will take care of Fawnfur."

Sunstorm nodded.

Mallowstalk glared at him until he agreed. He peered down, trying not to think what jumping inside would be like or that he might actually drown. Or he might get lost. He tried to think about the Moonpool, a better, nicer looking pool of water with its small waterfall. As he thought, the water lightened and there he could see that very water, a gray tabby laying at the water's edge, eyes tightly closed. So that was what he looked like?

He swallowed and stepped in. The water was cold like ice and he thought his paw was staring to go numb. He shivered but went farther in, keeping his mind on the Moonpool. He was all the way in now and sinking fast. He stared wide eyed at his sister as he sank under, the darkness slowly covering his face. He couldn t stand it anymore. He started thrashing, trying to get out, but he only went under more quickly.

Suddenly he was hitting something so hard, his tail and feet were hurting. He opened his eyes and jumped to his feet. Heart racing, he stared around. The ridge stony walls rose above him, the sky above silky dark blue, and a large full moon the color of drying blood overhead. He closed his eyes and sighed, realizing he was back. He could hear the water falling into the Moonpool, a soothing sound.

Not too much time passed before his siblings were back. He heard them waking up. Honeybee gave a shout of terror, Mallowstalk was off running before anyone could stop her and she almost fell into the Moonpool before she opened her eyes, and Badgerface just opened his wide eyes as if awaking from a bad dream. Once they were all there, Lakefrost glanced at the sky. He wondered how much time they had left. The moon couldn't stay that way forever could it? How long had it been? It didn't look like it had moved very far in the sky and there wasn't any dew on his fur. So he and his siblings couldn't have been in the Dark Forest for very long.

"Let's hurry back," he meowed.

"Of course," Mallowstalk muttered, her ears flat.

Only Badgerface looked confused. It was a look Lakefrost came to associated with when he couldn't hear. He motioned with his tail and the four took off. They stood on the crest of the dip, staring down. There was the forest to one side of the stream and down to the other was the moorland. Red light shone down on it, making the tall grass look bright with blood. He could barely make out a small dent and there were cats racing everywhere. They scattered and regrouped, others just lay unmoving on the ground if he could see them at all. It seemed as if some cats just disappeared into the ground. He wasn't sure which were from the Dark Forest and which were WindClan.

"We can't waste time going around ThunderClan," Mallowstalk meowed, gazing down at the moorland, her eyes hiding pain. "We have to go through it."

She didn't get any argument from him or the others. They quickly crossed the stream at its most shallow and walked into the forest. The undergrowth was thick, but nothing like the Dark Forest. Once he realized the ferns and bushes wouldn't scratch him or trip him, he was racing. They all ran as fast as they could now, hearts pounding, knowing they were trespassing and that there were battles being found, there was a lot of excitement. Part way through the ThunderClan territory, they heard the yowls. They got louder and to the left side. He knew they had to be near the ThunderClan camp.

He was right. They passed a few more trees and there was a section without. He thought they'd gain speed and distance, but as they sped up, the ground seemed to crumble under him. He halted and tried to back up. Badgerface yowled in terror as he almost fell down into the quarry as well. Mallowstalk had him by his scruff pulling him back. Lakefrost fell down to a lower ledge, but it wasn't too far. He managed to scramble back up. His siblings peered over the edge of the quarry wall. When Lakefrost reached them, he could see where all the noise was coming from.

There were the ThunderClan cats. They were bright, the moon lighting up their fur in the oddest ways. And there was the Dark Forest. They seemed see through, just mere outlines full of darkness. Shadows that moved on their own. The glowing eyes caught in the light of the blood moon. There were at least twice as many shadows as living cats. ThunderClan fought from the ledges, trying to protect the dens of the elders and kits. But there was blood on all pelts but the shadows. And some cats lay still in the dirt, the shadows leaping over them.

Badgerface's yowl seemed to catch the attention of some of the shadows. One with blue eyes, and a faint brown coloring and stripes, white on the underparts looked up at them. It flicked its tail and two others retreated out of the camp entrance.

"We have to get out of here," Lakefrost hissed. "I think they saw us!"

The others nodded and they raced along the edge of the quarry. There was no way they could stop to help ThunderClan, their own camp had to be surrounded. As they passed by some bushes, he thought he could see a ginger-brown tabby tail sticking out one of the bushes. He didn't have time to stop and look to see who it was, but he thought it might have been Morningsong. The Dark Forest traitors would want to stay out of the fighting. They wouldn't want to show their Clan they weren't fighting, and they wouldn't fight the Dark Forest in case they were accidently hurt. So Morningsong's body was out of the fight, and her spirit was in the Dark Forest.

The four cats continued on, heading for the ShadowClan border. Lakefrost hoped they got back to camp in time, before any of his Clanmates were laying on the ground, not moving. He couldn't help but think of a black she-cat with tangled, knotted fur.

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**Now, I better see your reviews. . . click it**


	20. Chapter 17: Fawnfur

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_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter_

_Thanks to reviwers: _Firestar111, May Emerald, QK Ninja, Chat et Chocolat, Northernlight24, Jayleaf19, and Goldenstream

_They recieve _Glowing Sunstorm, _a Sunstorm plushie that lights up and glimmers, and _Honeybee Surrounded by Seashells_._

_I just read _Omen of the Stars: Night Whispers._ (and _SkyClan's Destiny_, which was cool. I wish they had their own series). I can't believe what Jayfeather did. How dare he listen to Rock and let poor Flametail go under the ice! And who is this mysterious cat leaving herbs for them? I think it's Hollyleaf. The Erins couldn't killer her off that easily!_

_Here it is. This is the end._

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_

**Chapter 17**

I could hear the vines twisting and brushing against fur as Eveningbreeze and the four ShadowClan warriors raced away. Their challenging yowls filled the air. I didn't turn to watch. My eyes were on my sister. I had just remembered everything I'd seen. I'd discovered the truth after so long. Morningsong was the Dark Forest's agent. And I had a feeling StarClan knew all along. Firestar had warned me, but the others had pretended not to know. I was not sure why they held the truth from me because I felt if I'd had more time, I could have changed my sister's mind. That she'd stop helping the Dark Forest and help me plan and save my Clan instead.

But over that nagging thought, there was anger. She had almost killed me earlier that night. Gave me poppy seeds to sleep, untrained with the proper amounts. And this whole moon, she'd pretended not to know anything, just determined to keep me from Lakefrost on the pretense that he was too interested in me that the Clan thought badly of my honor. Then in just the last two days, she'd said nothing at all, not backed me up when I told everyone the Dark Forest's attack plan. She'd not stopped Bramblestar from exiling me when she knew the truth. How and why had my sister done this to me?

"Why?" I meowed. I realized I was shaking as though cold. My voice came through gritted teeth and I glared at her.

Morningsong turned her head just a bit and looked at me from one of her yellow eyes.

"Why didn't you listen to me?" she asked. "I told you to leave. I hid you away so you'd be safe."

"Then why sacrifice our Clan? Why did you choose the Dark Forest over them?" Perhaps this was one thing I'd never understand. We were born and grew up in ThunderClan. It was our culture, our friends, and our family. If we did not have that, we had nothing at all. Why would she want to destroy this?

She blinked slowly at me, the hardness I'd seen earlier that night coming through. "StarClan has-"

"StarClan has nothing to do with ThunderClan!" I yowled. "If you have something against them, then do not include our Clan with it!"

"I cannot harm StarClan," she snarled, stepping forward. "It is not possible. Only the Dark Forest knows how to fight our ancestors."

"So why ThunderClan?"

She smiled as Eveningbreeze had smiled: a smug, cheerful look. "Because, there is only one way I can hurt StarClan. Destroy the Clans that worship them. Kill their descendants."

I just shook my head. She didn't care anymore. She didn't care that ThunderClan was our Clan. She only cared about revenge against StarClan. But why would she need revenge? I looked up, startled and uncertain. I just had to ask. I took a step forward and she copied me. We were almost face to face. I could see the tension in her back where the fur started to raise, the way her mouth tightened and her teeth were revealed.

"Why do you want to hurt StarClan?" I asked, softening my voice. "They gave us gifts and have looked after our Clan and us."

"Lies!" she snarled, her tail thrashing, her body jerking forward. I flinched away. "They might have given us these powers, but what good are they? Sunstorm. . ." she swallowed, closing her eyes as if in pain. "She was the strongest of us. She led us, you remember?" She opened her eyes and peered at me. It seemed like we were kits again. "She died, like that. . . so quickly, suddenly. No one warned her. That gift. . . that 'power' StarClan gave her," now her voice grew sarcastic, her fur once more rising, her claws sliding out, "that power failed. StarClan allowed her to die, wanted her to die! And when she died, so did our future she saw for us. StarClan is evil. They hurt us for no reason. They hated her. They hate us. They want to fix their mistakes by killing us off! They know they shouldn't have given us the Sight of Time. Huh." she looked away scornfully. "I refuse to die. I will not be slaughtered by them. And Sunstorm needs retribution."

"But Sunstorm," I tried to explain I'd just seen our sister. That she didn't seem angry or depressed. She didn't want revenge or retribution. Morningsong would not listen. She sat. The fur on her back went down and she continued talking, but did not look at me. Her eyes unfocused, as if concentrating on something distant.

"Did you ever wonder who our father was?"

I was surprised. What did this have to do with anything? "Why are you asking that? We have to get back to our Clan. We have to stop the Dark Forest. I know you're angry, but think of what you're doing. What happens when everyone is dead? What will you do?"

"We," she meowed, turning back to me, "we will still be alive. That is all that matters."

"But-" She really didn't care. She probably hadn't planned for the day after the Dark Night. The Dark Forest obviously didn't care what happened to the Clans as long as they and StarClan were destroyed. They didn't care about the cats left behind. Or maybe they did. I remembered the other agents in the other Clans. If they were still alive at battle's end, they would probably be the new leaders, find the remnants of the Clans and band them together in their own way. Everything would be different. And those agents would have their reward, their purpose for following the Dark Forest.

I swallowed, feeling as if my heart had stopped. I couldn't stand next to her. I turned and walked away, finally circling back. I knew I had to go, but I couldn't leave her here. I still felt as if I had a chance to change her mind, to convince her to help me. To fight against the Dark Forest when we returned to ThunderClan territory.

"Our mother?" I meowed quietly. "You would save me, but let her die?"

Her tongue poked out slightly, a bright pink line against the white at her muzzle. "She doesn't matter. Did you ever wonder who our father was?" It was that same question as earlier.

"Of course," I sighed. I would have to go along with her for now.

"Then why didn't you ever look back to see who he was?"

"Cinderheart had her reasons for keeping it a secret," I meowed. "I didn't want to pry."

"You never used your power properly," she snorted and licked her shoulder. "I wanted to know. To know why Cinderheart never told us or the Clan. Was it a tom from another Clan? Did she want to keep our half-breed heritage a secret?"

I shook my head. Cinderheart would never do that. She was loyal to ThunderClan. Why else was she the deputy?

"Then perhaps, it was because she was ashamed of him," Morningsong growled. "She thought she was in love and then turned away from him, ashamed of him or thinking he wasn't right for her. Didn't ever tell anyone about it. Didn't think we ought to know because she never really loved him. Or I was right, and their love was forbidden." She glanced at me from the corner of her eyes.

I wondered what she was getting at. My fur felt as if ants were crawling in it. I was so impatient. I didn't want to stay there. I wanted to go back home, but I'd gotten myself lost. Maybe the pool was that way? I could recall coming to the split sycamore tree through the vines and Eveningbreeze had led the others the same direction. Perhaps if we started walking and I could, with the power from the Darkpool, show my sister what was happening below. Maybe she'd recant and help us.

"Fawnfur?" I looked up.

"Would you look for me?" she meowed quietly. "Would you see who our father is?"

"Morningsong, it doesn't matter," I whispered.

"But it does," she lowered her head. "The Dark Forest, they can give gifts too. I got to see."

"See what?" I demanded, staring at her.

"I saw him. I know who it is. And you- you don't care. You don't seem to care what Cinderheart did or that he never told us himself. He's been watching us. Watching over you. And Cinderheart- she told him. She told him after that she didn't love him. She felt she might, but then she changed her mind. And you think we should save her."

I stared at her, frowning in confusion. I could make sense of her muttered, jumbled words. She knew all along? And she wanted me to see as well. I licked my lips, uncertain.

"No, Morningsong. I can't, not now."

"Then it will be too late," she snarled, glaring up at me. "Because they will all be dead! And you won't see him and ask him why he never told you."

"Come back with me," I pleaded.

Her tail twitched. "Fine it doesn't matter. It is almost over anyway. We will be the only ones left. And then you and I will be free of StarClan. We won't have to fear they'll come for us."

I could hear the vines moving as if somecat were coming through. My ears flicked and I looked around. Morningsong could hear it too. She became tense, eyes scanning the area as if not even she trusted all the cats in the Dark Forest. It was growing lighter. I was surprised, not realizing just how dark it had gotten. The only light came from shining moss on the tree trunks, but as this new light came, it seemed as if the sun were rising. And through the vines she came. The last of our family. Flecks of starlight shining in her ginger-brown tabby fur.

"My sisters," Sunstorm meowed. She stared between us. She smiled at me. "Lakefrost and the others are all right. They've gone home. Now you need to get back. We think when the Darkpool is gone you won't be able to, so you have to leave now."

I nodded. A gasping noise drew our attention. It was Morningsong. She stared at Sunstorm, mouth open, breathing in sudden gasps.

"You see," she meowed, turning to me. "You see. She was betrayed. She is dead when she was meant to live!"

"Morningsong," Sunstorm meowed, walking forward.

"I will make it up to you," Morningsong told her, eyes shining in the light. She smiled happily, gazing at her sister. "I will repay StarClan for what they did to you."

Sunstorm paused and glanced at me, uncertainly in her stance. I wasn't sure if she understood. If she realized Morningsong thought she was doing everything for her.

"I'm fine," Sunstorm turned back to her. "I'm fine."

"But," now Morningsong seemed confused, "you are dead. You weren't supposed to. Aren't you angry?"

"Yes."

I blinked and looked at her. I hadn't realized. She didn't look angry. She seemed confident and assured, relaxed even.

"When I died, I was so angry," Sunstorm confessed, looking deep into her sister's eyes. "I denied it was possible. You know that I saw us together in the future. I wanted that future. I didn't want to be a member of StarClan. But time passed and I couldn't change the fact I was no longer living. And now I am happy. I have Redfur. I've had more adventures than I could have if I was still in ThunderClan. I'm all right; I've found peace."

"No," Morningsong shook her head. "No. You can't. They stole your life. They blocked your power and let you die. You shouldn't forgive them. Never." She started backing away slowly. Her eyes were confused as she stared at Sunstorm. They darted to me as if I would somehow understand her horror that Sunstorm wasn't what she imagined. A cat that didn't want revenge.

Suddenly my sister gagged. She lowered her head and seemed as if she were spitting up a hairball. I stepped forward to stand beside Sunstorm and watched, wondering what was happening. Morningsong heaved again and stared up at us. That was when I noticed the blood. It dripped down her legs, covering the white patch on her chest. It soaked through, falling faster and splashing on the ground in bursts. She looked at us in horror. Sunstorm gasped and I could feel my mouth hanging open as I leaned into my StarClan sister.

Morningsong shook and fell over. She thrashed on the ground, gasping for air, a wicked deep line in her throat as if a claw had slit through. Blood bubbled in her mouth, at her nose. And finally she was still.

Sunstorm and I stood side by side, just staring at her body, not sure what had happened, how she'd died. And that was when everything went black for me.

**-Line-**

_Black swallowed me, pulling me under, pulling me down. It covered me until I couldn't breathe. I didn't exist. I was nothing, just darkness through and through and for a time I forgot who I was._

There was soft grass under her paws. It tickled. She slowly opened her eyes and looked around. There were tall, leaf-bearing trees, twisted roots below, and thick undergrowth everywhere. She would have thought it was the Dark Forest except for one thing. High above the leaves in the dark, inky black there were little speckled silver dots everywhere. Silverpelt, the home of StarClan strove on to shine brilliantly. But if she tried hard enough, she could see where the silver wavered, dimmed as if threads of clouds were trying to cover them. But most of all, hanging over the forest was a large round coppery red orb. It was the moon, fully covered in shadow.

It was an odd sight, and filled her with shivers. Never had the moon looked this way. She had to hurry. She picked up her paws, racing through the thick trees, jumping over the ferns and bushes, stumbling on unfamiliar rocks. She was near the WindClan border as if she were coming from the Moonpool. The scents of ThunderClan became stronger and she followed her nose and her ears. Because over the sounds of the forest (leaves and branches moving in the wind, little prey animals squeaking to each other, and the tapping of her own paws) she could hear the wailing of cats in pain, claws tearing into rock and ground. She could hear shouts for regrouping, for help, for anything. Her heartbeat pounded and she raced forward to see what was happening.

The ground was bright in the copper moonlight and there were many shadows. She didn't see the quarry until too late. The ground was gone under her paws. She fell, tumbling down the rocky sides. She tried to get her claws into the hanging vines, but they slid passed. She couldn't grip, couldn't twist her body to land on her feet. She came down hard, glancing off of another cat's body. The ground slammed into her and she lay there, dizzy and aching everywhere.

"Ohh," she moaned. She tasted blood and knew she'd bitten her tongue. Her legs could barely move. She twitched, breathless, unable to get up. And somecat laid under her, unmoving, the warmth seeping away.

"What have we here?" a cold voice meowed. A grinning face loomed over her. He was shrouded in shadows, dulling the dark brown of his fur. Dark lines splicing through, like a tabby. A ghostly pale patch on his chest, his eyes oddly bright blue. When the light from the moon glimmered into them, they flashed red.

"Hawkfrost," she spat, glaring at him.

He laughed, closing his eerie eyes. "Had to fall in here, did you? Won't Tigerstar be pleased to know I've captured you."

"Hardly," she snorted. "You haven't caught me." She struggled to get on her feet, but was unable too, pain still shooting through her body. Her legs wouldn't listen to her as if she'd broken bone. But that was nearly impossible. She couldn't have hurt herself so badly.

Hawkfrost's paw came down, slamming into her chest and his claws came out, pressing into her until she winced from the pain.

"You can't get away," he meowed. "You might as well enjoy your time."

"I have somewhere to be, thank you very much," she growled, snapping at his foreleg. He yowled in pain as her teeth ground together. She tasted blood as he pulled away, half dragging her from the dead cat. She released him, panting. He glared down at her, licking his injury. She could see two other cats behind him. They were just as dark as he was as if shadows had wrapped about their fur, their eyes shining red when the moonlight hit them. Sootwhisker and Yarrowthorn.

Beyond them, she could see the ThunderClan cats backed against walls, fighting in small groups, blood dripping through their fur and onto the ground. They looked tired and in shock that living shadows were fighting against them. These cats were equally matched; as many Dark Forest as ThunderClan, although the living numbers had dropped, which she determined by the four dead cats she could see. But some others seemed to be missing. Perhaps they'd run into the forest to escape the slaughter.

"And where would you go?" Hawkfrost demanded, standing back, his tail twitching slowly.

"ShadowClan," she growled. She wanted to be there. She had her own revenge to work on.

"Likely that you could crawl there," he laughed. "I think I can leave you, Eveningbreeze, a broken she-cat. I'll retrieve you after the battle."

He gave her a little bow and walked away. The two cats by his side stalked off with him. "Jaggedsky, split those cats up!" he yowled at one of the Dark Forest toms. "They're stronger together. Target one cat at a time if you have too! And, Highbird, get into those dens!"

She glared after him as he walked to the entrance. She glanced upward and spotted some of the cats she'd missed before. They stood before two dens. One had to be the nursery, a bramble bush, and the other was the medicine cat den. She knew that by the blind, gray tabby tom that stood outside it, a mostly white she-cat by his side as they snarled at one of the Dark Forest cats.

She could only lay there, pain rippling through her. That fall had damaged her somehow. She wouldn't be moving anytime soon. She sighed and laid her head down. She wanted to go to ShadowClan and only wished to stop to see what was happening in the ThunderClan camp. Now she seemed doomed to wait until the battle won and Hawkfrost came to get her. She couldn't just sit there uselessly and give up! She snarled and twisted on the ground. Her back felt as if fire laced downward and she froze, breathing hard. She flexed her front claws and felt mildly surprised when they came out.

A showering of rocks and dirt fell down, hitting her side, and a yowl sounded above her. She flinched and when the downpour stopped, looked upward. She could just barely make out cats above. They were light like living cats. She could just glimpse ears and paws. She looked around the camp. The cats were starting to become split up into a smaller group and the shadows pulled down one apprentice, slowly twisting a front paw back, making him yowl in pain. This taunted two warriors to rush forward.

Hawkfrost didn't seem interested. He was looking up the slope. He rested his blue eyes on Eveningbreeze, but continued to look up the quarry wall. He must have seen the cats above because he twitched his tail and he and the two toms with him started through the entrance as if they were going to investigate. Dirt fell down again as the cats above moved on.

With Hawkfrost gone, she tried to get to her paws with renewed vigor. Her back ached horribly and any wrong movement made her fall back down. Her back legs did work, just slowly, and when she got to her feet, she crawled out of the camp. The other Dark Forest cats saw her, but did not stop her. They were busy with ThunderClan. And the living cats were busy fighting, not sightseeing.

She made her way through the bramble and gorse entrance. It was dark and she made her way by feel, ignoring the thick thorns. She got to the forest and followed Hawkfrost's scent. She followed it around the quarry edge, up the slope and there she saw him. Sootwhisker and Yarrowthorn pulled a shape from a bush. It was a ginger-brown cat. The body flopped when they dragged it out as if the cat was already dead, but Eveningbreeze, who paused just behind a birch tree, couldn't see any wounds. Then she realized who it was.

"Morningsong," she whispered, her eyes growing wide.

"Hey," Yarrowthorn meowed. "This is that cat Eveningbreeze contacts."

"Not that good at hiding herself is she?" Hawkfrost asked. He brought up his paw, claws flashing as he brought them down. Blood formed around Morningsong's neck. She started to thrash and shake, dying quickly. Eveningbreeze yowled in anger and charged forward. How dare he kill her helper!

Though her back ached, she leapt on him, bringing him to the ground as she torn into him. Her back claws kicked like a rabbit. He squirmed and yowled under her, trying to flip over, trying to stand. She just bit him hard on the ears, drawing her front paw over his face. She must have hit an eye with her claws because blood spurted and he yowled, bucking. Two cats pulled her off violently, throwing her to the ground where she gasping in pain. Hawkfrost loomed over her, snarling in her face.

**-Line-**

I struggled awake. I pulled myself away, struggling from the vision. I opened my eyes. A cat of speckled stars sat over me, licking my face until I stood.

"What happened?" she asked.

"I-I was Eveningbreeze," I meowed. I could hear something sobbing and moaning. I looked about until my eyes rested on Morningsong. "They killed Morningsong," I meowed, staring at my sister. She was dead in my world, but this form was her spirit. After dying, she'd awaken again.

She was no longer lying on the ground, but sat huddled, curled up. She was moaning and curling ever tighter as if in utter pain. I couldn't stand it anymore. I dove forward to her, licking her ears and nudging her, trying to comfort her. At first she didn't seem to notice, but once she did feel my presence, her low moans stopped. She started to uncurl and looked at me.

"I'm so sorry," I meowed. I meant it utterly. How could she just die? Why had Hawkfrost done that? She'd helped the Dark Forest!

A snarl overtook her face. Before I could react, she sprang up and swiped me across the chest. I backed away, stunned. Blood welled over the white patch on my chest. It started to sting and I could only stare at her. She glared angrily back at me.

"Fawnfur," Sunstorm meowed, quickly coming to my side and nuzzling my chest in concern.

"I'm fine," I dully told her, my eyes still on Morningsong.

"You need to go back," Sunstorm insisted. "Before they find you too."

I nodded slowly, not looking at her. I didn't move.

"I'll take care of her," Sunstorm insisted. "Just get back. Redfur is by the Darkpool. He'll tell you how to go back to ThunderClan."

I nodded again, but only after she shoved me, did I start walking away. I glanced over my shoulder at them. Sunstorm hesitantly approached Morningsong, pausing frequently. But Morningsong swung at her and Sunstorm halted.

"I don't want to be dead here," Morningsong whimpered. And that was the last I heard of her voice as I faded into the vines, on my way to the Darkpool and to ThunderClan.

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**Yeah, I know you want more action. Sorry, but it's kind of lacking. Until Lakefrost's chapter. Hopefully Eveningbreeze's part held your attention. But what happens to her? Do you care? Well, you'll see.**

**Sootwhisker and Yarrowthorn are unimportant cats, I just had to give them names though, so you wouldn't get confused.**

**Now, Morningsong was taunting Fawnfur about their father. Yes, you all want to know who he was. My theories for you were: A random WindClan warrior, Firestar (because Cinderpelt liked him and that feeling might have carried over into Cinderheart), Jayfeather (because he helped her and knows who she really is), and Lionblaze (they get their ginger-gold-brown coloring from him). However, I've never said anything concrete on the subject so you can guess whoever. **

**But after reading **Night Whipers**, I have a preference for Lionblaze. He and Cinderheart are cute together and it's sad she doesn't think she's good enough for him.**


	21. Chapter 18: Sunstorm

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter_

_Nope, you're lucky. This chapter 18 is not the end!_

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**Chapter 18**

Fawnfur left them there, wandering off, searching for the Darkpool. Sunstorm had recently come from the Darkpool. She'd followed the scents of both her sister and the four ShadowClan warriors back to a wall of vines. Inside, she'd found Morningsong and Fawnfur. There one sister died, the other lived.

"I don't want to be dead here!" Morningsong wailed.

Sunstorm looked away. She couldn't say a thing. Because she knew. She knew that when a cat died and awoke within the Dark Forest, that meant the cat would never be accepted into StarClan. They'd refused to guide that spirit into Silverpelt. Her sister was a Dark Forest cat.

"I'm so sorry," she meowed. She tried to step forward again, tried to comfort her sister, but Morningsong spat at her, striking out. The claws came close and Sunstorm felt air blowing passed her. She closed her eyes and tried not to flinch, just staying out of her sister's range. Morningsong held her ground near the vines.

"I did everything for you," Morningsong sobbed, looking up at her. "Everything. I knew you'd want it. But why are you here? Why are you with StarClan? They killed you!"

Sunstorm knew her sister could see the flecks of star in her fur. They glowed softly, fighting back the darkness. Even against Morningsong, who's fur had gone dark and lackluster when she died. Dried blood, dark red turning to brown clung to her white chest fur, a dark line at her throat where it had been cut. Someone down below in the Clan territories had ended her life. Sunstorm didn't know who, but she knew Fawnfur had seen it. Had probably been the cat dealing the deathblow if her shock was anything to go by.

"I've made my peace with StarClan," Sunstorm meowed. "I am one of them because that was where I was meant to go."

"And I'm not?" she demanded, hissing. Her tail thrashed. Her face, once grieved, filled with rage.

If she was so mad about not becoming a StarClan warrior, why had she helped the Dark Forest? Why fight against StarClan if you want to join it later? Sunstorm didn't ask what she was thinking. Perhaps Morningsong didn't even know. She was brought up knowing all dead cats went to StarClan and maybe she really did want to become one of the ancestors. Sunstorm knew she certainly didn't want to live in the Dark Forest for the rest of eternity or when she faded away.

"I'll never be forgiven," Morningsong moaned, huddling up once more.

"Why did you want to get revenge for me?" Sunstorm meowed. She sat down, trying not to be intimidating, wanting to ease her sister's fear and anger so she could get closer.

"StarClan killed you," Morningsong meowed quietly, staring at her. "Someone had to do it. I chose to. The Dark Forest came to me, offering me the chance. Why don't you?"

"I don't feel angry anymore. Dying was just a part of life," Sunstorm meowed slowly. "I might have given up my future, my possible leadership, but I have Redfur. I have so many friends here in the sky that Clan borders don't matter."

Morningsong watched her, hopeful.

"You don't have to feel anger for StarClan anymore, Morningsong," Sunstorm soothed. "You don't need to hold a grudge against them. I don't want revenge. I don't need it. Thank you for the thought, but it isn't necessary. They did warn me when they had the chance. They didn't see that branch until it was too late so I didn't see my death until the last second. You can't hate them. They did nothing."

Morningsong laughed shortly, her yellow eyes hard as she looked away. "It doesn't matter anymore does it? I'm dead too now. And I'm stuck here, in this horrible place. I can be angry all I want."

Stubborn. Sunstorm thought, trying not to roll her eyes.

"Now I'm stuck here," Morningsong growled. "Unless StarClan changes their mind. But they won't. Not after what I did, what I let the Dark Forest do." She looked away, a low growl in her throat. "The Clan is dying, isn't it?"

Sunstorm sighed and nodded. Before leaving Redfur, she'd seen where Lakefrost and the others had gone. She'd seen WindClan scattering across the moorland, fleeing for their lives, the dead bodies of the slow and weak littered in the camp. ThunderClan couldn't have been much better.

"Are you sorry for it?" Sunstorm asked, staring at her sister. She just had to know. Was Morningsong wishing she'd never gotten involved?

There was no reply for a time. Then Morningsong looked at her. "Do you forgive me? I did it for you. Will you forgive me for doing this all in your name?"

Sunstorm's ears went up. Her sister looked really interested. Sunstorm frowned and seriously thought about it. Her sister's actions had harmed the Clans beyond anything they'd experienced. Fighting the dead in a battle they could never win. All in her name. But as Sunstorm stared at her sister, she couldn't tell the truth or lie. It would have to be a mixture to help her sister. To hear what she wanted to hear.

_What I want to hear from her._

"Yes," Sunstorm meowed. "I forgive you. And StarClan will too eventually. They caused-" Well, now, she couldn't say that. They hadn't caused anything. Morningsong just thought they had. It was their lack of doing anything that started Morningsong's descent. If they'd warned her or if Sunstorm had visited her sister, things might have turned out better. If Fawnfur knew early on that her sister was one of the enemies, perhaps everything would have been different. But Morningsong had made her choice. She'd followed the darker path all on her own, not tricked by anyone.

"Thank you," Morningsong purred.

"Are you sorry?" Sunstorm reminded her of the earlier question.

Morningsong sighed. "I cannot say."

And Sunstorm blinked. Her sister's body was still. Too still, as if trying not to reveal any thought in her body movements. A spark of something burned in her eye.

"Come," Sunstorm meowed. "We better find Redfur and hope no one attacked him. We'll go to StarClan right now. Help us fight back the Dark Forest cats there and I'm sure they'll let you stay."

Morningsong nodded eagerly and together they walked back to the Darkpool. Redfur sat down below, his broken paw raised and against his chest as he stared into the black depths of the water. He heard them coming and looked up, nodding to them.

"She went back," he meowed. "And I'm sorry," he looked at Morningsong who looked at him with such a blank face Sunstorm felt the fur on her back rise.

She looked at the pool instead to ignore her sister. It was smaller than before. Redfur had gathered more stones, forming a third ring. It was about as big as a cat and getting smaller. She knew they didn't have long before it went away. She wondered if it would take them to StarClan if they used it. **(A/N, she doesn't know that the border between StarClan and the Dark Forest is open. That was the way Lakefrost and the others took.) **And if one of them tried it, there was no guarantee where they'd show up or if they could return to tell the others. She didn't really want to risk it, but someone had to.

"Do you remember what Cinderblossom said?" Redfur meowed as they sat around the pool.

"No," Sunstorm replied. "What?"

"That while the moon is blocked, the dead can't enter StarClan."

Sunstorm looked at him then at her sister, hope rising in her chest. That made sense. Morningsong wasn't stuck in the Dark forest forever. She was just blocked while the moon was covered. She probably was a StarClan warrior after all!

"We'll wait until the moon is bright again," Sunstorm meowed happily. "Then we can all go back!"

"But, Sunstorm," Morningsong meowed. "What guarantee do you have that the moon will come back at all?"

The StarClan warriors looked at her. And they suddenly doubted too. It couldn't stay blocked forever could it?

"You should go," Morningsong meowed.

"But you have to come too," Sunstorm told her. "We aren't leaving you here."

"But the moon might not come back," Morningsong meowed.

"Did they ever tell you?" Redfur asked.

"No. I didn't care to know. Eveningbreeze said they saw it in the water that the Dark Night would come. They planned everything based on that. And StarClan's movements. They have a spy there," she told them.

"A spy?" Sunstorm was intrigued.

"Yes. I never saw him. But one of the StarClan warriors talks to one of the cats here. That was how they knew what StarClan was doing."

"But how did they meet?" Redfur asked, confused.

"I don't know."

But Sunstorm had an idea. It was the same way she and Redfur had. He'd just forgotten that others could do the same.

"They met here," she told them. "He thought his way here and then out! See I told you it was possible to leave the same way we got here."

"Why do you think a StarClan cat would be a spy?" Morningsong asked. It was more of a statement as if to test how soft to place her paws when hunting a mouse.

"I have no idea," Sunstorm shook her head. "I haven't even been there long, but Redfur says only Clan leaders and medicine cats know how to get here."

Morningsong rolled her eyes. "Well, you got here. And I don't think leaders or medicine cats would be spying for the Dark Forest."

The StarClan warriors had to agree with that.

"Did you ever see him?" Redfur asked.

"Yes. Once. But I didn't meet often with my associates. They didn't talk with me and I avoided the Dark Forest cats. But once, a long while ago, during a meeting when Tigerstar wanted information on the Clans. I saw him. A ginger tom."

She glanced at Redfur. Even Sunstorm looked at him.

"What?" he demanded. "Just because I'm ginger, doesn't make me a spy!"

"But you're the only non leader that comes here," Sunstorm meowed.

"This is my first time!"

For a while she wasn't sure she believed him. She kept her eyes on him. He had to look away, then glanced back at her and away again. Until finally he held her gaze.

"Come on! Stop staring at me. I had nothing to do with it. And you're ignoring an important fact. A Dark Forest cat could use the pool and meet with StarClan."

"Then how would they get back here?" Sunstorm asked.

"I wouldn't know! Stop staring at me like that! We've been together for awhile now. You have to believe me."

She made sure by staring at him. If he really was a traitor he would have said something, right? If he really loved her? He wouldn't betray her. But that didn't solve the mystery of who was telling on StarClan.

"Fine, I do believe you," she told him.

He just shifted uneasily. "We probably should get back. Just to help out. Morningsong will be safe here while the Dark Forest cats are below. We can come back for her to see if she can get into StarClan and if not, we'll be able to talk to the leaders. Okay?"

She wanted to agree. It sounded like a great idea, but she didn't want to leave Morningsong alone. Her sister sat nearby, watching them with something like amusement. She didn't want to leave her sister, but she also didn't want to bring her sister along to StarClan territory. Something about it didn't seem right.

"No," Sunstorm meowed. "We will guard this pool. And then we'll see what happens. If the shadow leaves the moon or not. We also have to make sure this Darkpool is gone. Or mostly gone at least."

Redfur agreed. He usually did and this time she knew he didn't want to argue with her. Possibly afraid she'd bring up the suggestion he was working for the Dark Forest. A part of her really did believe it. She didn't know much of him before that day she'd caught a rabbit. He came in to her life. The other part of her knew she could trust him utterly because of how much they'd been through. She didn't like this doubt.

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**So, yeah, when Redfur was coming after Sunstorm in **Wandering Through **I wanted readers to think he was the ginger tom we saw in the prologue of that book. And I'm still playing around with that idea, but reading back, he really isn't the type, unless he was lying to Sunstorm the whole time.**


	22. Chapter 19: Lakefrost

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_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter_

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**Chapter 19**

He struck at the grinning tom in front of him. The hit was direct across the chest, but his paw passed through the insubstantial body. It felt like plunging his paw into cold water. It resisted, pushing against him, but he couldn't land a mark, couldn't make it stick, and ultimately he went through.

The Dark Forest warrior continued to grin at him, knowing just as well as he, that Lakefrost couldn't hurt him. This tom struck out next, his paw as black as the sky, the claws on the end like sickle moons, pale and almost see-through. This tom had the colorings of a blue-gray tom with white underbelly, but the dark shadow that formed him made it so dark, Lakefrost was only guessing.

The paw came up and his concentration broke. He only had enough time to duck, but his ear was caught by the wicked claws. It tore through and immediately pain stung at him. He kept his head low and rushed forward, slamming his head into the dark cat's chest. The cold sensation went over him, but this time the enemy gave way, falling back as if the breath had been pushed out of him.

Lakefrost stood straight recovering in time for a she-cat to hook her claws about his back lower leg and pull hard, trying to trip him. He wobbled, but used the other three to turn on her using both paw and claw tips to aim for her throat. He knew he couldn't kill her. He'd tried already with another opponent. He also couldn't wound her deeply. So far the Dark Forest cats didn't seem to bleed. Unless they fought themselves. Which he had seen when they angered each other or got in each other's way. The only thing he could do was startle her, or knock her out.

His claws went up her throat to her chin, rattling her teeth until they clicked. She looked dizzy when he left her. He raced away to the camp wall where Dappleflower was backed up against it. She was alone, had been cornered by two Dark Forest cats, forced away from a small group that had disintegrated. There was a third cat behind the wall, reaching through, claws tearing at her tail and back legs, trying to tear the muscles there that would enable her to walk. She couldn't back away from the bushes too much else the two in front would be on either side. She fought bravely, yet without control, waving her claws violently side to side to keep them away. Though the Dark Forest cats weren't flesh, they couldn't walk through everything or even pass through solid objects. That the Clan had learned quickly, using that to their advantage, fighting near the Large Stump and trees, near the few camp walls. Brambles and thorns didn't deter the evil cats and after Lakefrost had been to the Dark Forest, he knew why.

He leapt forward, tumbling down and over a black tom who had white legs and long fur. Down they fell, giving Dappleflower, time to concentrate on one foe. She left the bush's side and yowled, charging and knocking the last tom over with her shoulder. Lakefrost jumped off of his foe and ran by Dappleflower's side to the Large Stump. Fallingstar was on top, Brownfeather by her side, preventing the enemy from getting above or on top of the other cats. She would jump down to allow another cat to rest and this strategy had worked most of the night. Beneath, in the leader's den, Batwing was with her kits, guarding the entrance from the inside. Flametail was with them, a bundle of herbs with him that he would quickly use on any injured cat near the entrance.

There were Dark Forest cats surrounding the remaining Clan, a circle for a circle, looking for an entrance, a weakness. They struck out, and paced, walking by, snarling insults. Everyone was bloody and tired. And there were some cats that weren't around. There used to be a second group as not everyone in the Clan could fit around the Large Stump. Lakefrost and his siblings had been a part of it on their return. But they'd been scattered. A warriors few had run away into the forest, Mallowstalk one of them. Fallingstar wished them luck even though Dark Forest cats had been on their tail. Lakefrost couldn't keep track of where everyone else had gone. It was hard enough to fight for his life.

Lakefrost could still see the body of Oakfur laying out near the elders' den. He'd been the first to go, according to Snowbird. Quickly. After that the Dark Forest cats took their time with killing, playing and teasing before delivering the death blow. Ivytail and Scorchtree were of that number and perhaps others Lakefrost didn't know of.

It was horrible and Lakefrost didn't want to think about it.

"You have to get Wrenpaw."

Lakefrost panted and looked down. Ashpaw had made it to his side. The gray apprentice looked up at Lakefrost.

"She's-"

But their inattention cost them. A brindled golden tom with white and black lines on his face lunged forward, grabbing Ashpaw by his neck, pulling him from the circle.

"No!" Olivespot yowled, racing out, but she was jumped on by other Dark Forest shadows. Lakefrost was closer to the apprentice and leapt forward, ducking under a she-cat's swing.

"No, no," Fallingstar yowled from where she was. "Stay together. Stoneheart, help Lakefrost. Brownfeather, to Olivespot." She jumped downward to fill in the gap while the warriors went to help. But she made a mistake. The empty stump was a perfect spot for the Dark Forest cats to go. They leapt for it, for the high ground and for the advantage it would be for the ShadowClan cats' backs. Dappleflower saw that and jumped up. Three cats collided, falling back down. ShadowClan couldn't help but scatter.

Lakefrost pushed off the she-cat who'd jumped him and started to stand, his eyes only on Ashpaw whose neck was still in the brindled gold tom's mouth. Away the apprentice was dragged, farther from the stump. Another cat clawed his belly as he passed and the apprentice squirmed, crying out in pain. The brindled tom snarled and paused hitting the cat that dared hurt his catch. They glared at each other. Lakefrost realized he could catch up. And then the black and white cat behind him jumped onto him. He fell, chin landing painfully on the dirt ground. He tried to stand and almost managed but another she-cat had gotten in front of him, tripping him back down. The cat on his back buried their teeth into the back of his neck. He froze, feeling the teeth get deeper and press down hard. Harder. He could feel it against bone.

Then it was gone. The weight lifted, the teeth tore out. His back grew suddenly warm as the shadow cat was knocked away by Stoneheart. He stood up quickly and snarled into the face of the she-cat in front of him. He lowered his head and slammed into her. That seemed most effective way to fight. More weight behind each motion, more body for more impact. In addition it didn't hurt as much as it would, knocking heads with another cat. It was just a lot colder.

She stumbled away and Lakefrost went to help the cat who'd saved his life. He could feel the blood dripping down the back of his neck to his shoulders and down farther. But he was glad of it. The feeling meant he was still alive.

Stoneheart held his own against the opponent and with Lakefrost's help they had him on his back. Stoneheart moved on. Lakefrost had noticed the dark gray tom would seem petrified when they came near the Dark Forest cats. He would look into their faces and then relief would rush over his features as he attacked. Lakefrost had the feeling he was hoping he wouldn't see a certain familiar cat.

Both disengaged, they raced for Ashpaw. The apprentice wasn't alone. Wrenpaw, lost from the smaller group was by her brother's side. She stumbled over, blood dripping from the stumps of her ears and now nubbed tail. She hunched over him and he did his best to protect her as a third cat approached, grinning. The brindled cat who'd stolen him now had his shadowed silver teeth in the neck of the cat that had challenged him for Ashpaw. They drew blood from each other, a dark crimson in the moonlight.

Lakefrost got in the way of the new threat as Stoneheart helped his kits to rise. He hurried the apprentices back to the stump. Lakefrost slowly backed away, keeping the cat in sight. It advanced as he retreated, measuring when the best time to attack would be. The two fighting seemed to realize their prey was getting away. And after one last snarl and swipe they started coming after the four Clanmates.

Lakefrost glanced behind his shoulder at Stoneheart and the apprentices. They were making for the Large Stump, but the circle there had been broken. A Dark Forest cat sat on the stump and below the Clan fought one by one, or by two if they were lucky, against the shadowed cats. There was no circle. There was no protection, and down went the tired and wounded. It was quite obvious as the three Dark Forest cats closed in there was no way he could win. His Clan was being destroyed. It would not win, ShadowClan was finished. Only those who could escape the massacre would live.

The three came closer. There was something warm by his shoulder. He looked down. Ashpaw was by his side, face contorted until his teeth glimmered and eyes burned. Stoneheart and Wrenpaw were on the other side and the four of them formed a line as they faced the attack. The Dark Forest cats just seemed amused, an odd hunger in their eyes. Blood leaked down their jaws and coated their paws. They came closer, and finally the brindled tom lunged.

Stoneheart went to meet him, yowling loudly a challenge. Wrenpaw went to help; the damaged she-cat still had vigor. She almost seemed to shine even. The light catching and highlighting the silver in her brown fur. He shook his head. It was too bright for that. The moon was supposed to be darkened. He had to look up. He broke his gaze from the fight and stared toward the sky. He couldn't see the moon at all. The red had been leached out, gone. But there. . . he could see it among the black and the speckled stars. . . a very small slice of white and silver. It grew bigger and wider.

He glanced at the Dark Forest cats. They had also paused. For a moment everything was still and silent as they looked up through the tree tops to the sky. Everything seemed so bright after the darkness. The evil cats seemed to fade away even more. Their bodies a bit darker, the colors fading away. They looked shallower, smaller. For a moment he was convinced they might actually win.

But the Dark Forest cats didn't care. Though the moon had come, they didn't leave and didn't retreat. The attack renewed with vigor and Lakefrost found himself pinned down on the ground by some cat, Ashpaw struggling to get him free. He was laying on his back, claws dug deep into the bones by his lungs. He could see the tree tops rocking in the wind. Bright green the leaves seemed. Needles rained down around them. His eyes locked onto Silverpelt. The stars were thick and bright. He knew then it was his time to go. He would be in StarClan before the night was over.

Then he saw it. A bright streak across the sky. So quick he could blink and miss it. There was another. And soon much more, but this time they didn't go away. The streaks of bright light stayed in the sky and seemed to come closer. Closer until he suddenly couldn't see a thing. He thought that was his death. That he was gone now. For the claws had disappeared and he couldn't hear a thing. But it all came back too soon. The yells of terror and pain. The fact that his bloody back was getting sticky and picking up dirt and needles, that some small pebble was jabbing into his shoulder. That Ashpaw was in his face, yelling and smiling.

"Get up, get up. You have to see this. They came!" Ashpaw yowled and leaped away. For a moment Lakefrost thought he'd gone insane. He heaved himself to his paws and thought he saw stars. They jumped and danced, glimmering about him like starbugs, the little glowing insects only found in RiverClan and WindClan territory.

He realized the stars were attached to cats. These cats of light, fighting the darkness. So many more of them than there were of the Dark Forest cats. He'd seen them before, he realized. Seen these cats and spoke to them.

"StarClan," he breathed.

"Yes, yes," Ashpaw agreed, grinning and panting as he whipped his head around. Lakefrost thought he might injure himself.

"What are they doing?" Lakefrost shook his head in confusion. Why were they here, why had they come? He spotted a lone cat that seemed to be watching. Possibly the leader of the attack.

"You have to go back," Lakefrost meowed.

The dark brown she-cat with fur that spiked every-which-way looked at him.

"You're ruining the balance even more; you have to leave," Lakefrost continued. He knew that if they stayed, the Dark Forest would just have more power and their Darkpool would grow. StarClan couldn't stay. As much as his Clan needed the ancestors and could thank them for their lives, StarClan couldn't stay.

She seemed to understand.

"We couldn't abandon you," she nodded. " So we came as we promised." She glanced at Stoneheart who, out of all the ShadowClan warriors, seemed the least surprised. He smiled, lowering his eyes as he wandered away.

"The Dark Forest will leave when the moon is free of shadow. By the light of dawn they will be no more," the leader told him. "You will have nothing to fear anymore. StarClan!"

The StarClan warriors and apprentices left in camp looked up. But others had gone, racing after the shadows into the forest.

"It is time for us to leave. Twitchwhisker, Branchpaw, find the others and bring them back."

The named cats nodded and walked away from camp. The StarClan warriors who stayed said their goodbyes to the Clan. A happy reunion for some as they recognized friends and family. Then they faded away. The brightness went first. Then the cat, disappearing as the streaks continued within the sky above. Lakefrost had a feeling the other Clans were receiving their help as well.

Flametail raced to his den for herbs and the remaining Clanmates fell with exhaustion, or found loved ones. Lakefrost found Fallingstar near the stump. She wasn't moving. She didn't look to be breathing either. He sat next to her, terrified she might not wake up. But her eye twitched, then her whiskers. She opened her green eyes and saw him. A smile lit up her face.

"You're alive," she whispered. "I was so afraid. . ."

"I'm alive," Lakefrost agreed. He smiled, suddenly happy for that revelation.

"The falling star will bring the shadows into light," she murmered and Lakefrost wondered if she were going to sleep. "It was never just about me," she laughed. Then she caught the odd look he was giving her. "Gather the Clan," she told him. "Find Tigerheart. Have him. . ."

"I'm here," her deputy meowed. He came over, limping, missing an ear. Claw marks on his tabby sides deep and bleeding.

Lakefrost backed away so they could speak. But he heard her say something about gathering the dead bodies once Flametail was done with his herbs. Lakefrost wasn't too badly injured, or at least he decided he wasn't, so he found Acornpelt with his mate and kits and they went to the cats laying on the ground. It hurt worse than he imagined. Seeing cats he knew. His Clanmates. The ones he'd grown up with and had always been there. It hurt inside his gut to look at them. Not moving, eyes staring sightlessly, snarls of pain on their faces. He wanted to sit down and just close his eyes, flee from it all. But he didn't realize how much more he could hurt.

"Lakefrost!" Acornpelt yowled. He sounded nervous or terrified. Lakefrost quickly hurried over, pushing through the bushes, leaving the dead Ivytail behind.

She was lying there just outside the camp wall. Stretched out on her back, her legs broken and dislocated. Her chest had been crushed, but that must have been the last injury and the deathblow, because she had other major wounds along her golden form. Lakefrost stared at her, suddenly unable to breath. He felt dizzy and swayed, collapsing on the ground.

"Honeybee," he moaned.

"Lakefrost!" Acornpelt yelled, startled when his Clanmate fell.

But the first call had summoned more than just Lakefrost. Other cats had come to join them outside camp. Orangestripe rushed passed the both of them, burying his ginger head into her throat, sobbing and shaking.

"You can't go, you can't," the tom kept repeating. "Don't leave me! Not again!"

Lakefrost just couldn't watch. He covered his eyes with his paws. It was all his fault. He'd brought her back. He'd led her home just to die. Honeybee's death was his fault. She would have been safe with the twolegs. She would have still been alive. Sitting on the porch, smiling, sunlight glimmering through her golden fur and resting in her blue eyes.

"I'm so sorry." It was a soft voice. She pressed her fur against him. He could feel her blood drip down onto him. He didn't want to look at her. Didn't want her to know that it was his fault. He was the guilty one. But Knotfur seemed to understand. She just stayed there by his side, sitting beside him, licking his head with her warm tongue while his body shook.

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**I knew the moment I sent Honeybee away to the Twolegplace that I was going to do something bad to her.**

**A song for the situation: **_If I Die Young _**by **The Band Perry


	23. Chapter 20: Fawnfur

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter_

_Onyxtail is just a more creative name than Blacktail but means the same. And you're all probably wondering where Tigerstar is. I have no idea! I'm staying away from that character, mainly because I have no idea what he'd do. After all in my book Firestar is dead, and I think that's who is has the greatest grudge against. So just read what happens in the rest of _Omen of the Stars_ and find out what really happens. I'm certain the Erins can do a lot better job than me. I love their Dark Forest, it's just so much more interesting._

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**Chapter 20**

The darkness was everywhere about me. It smoothered me until I couldn't breath and couldn't think. I fought against it, trying to reach the surface again. I had to find air. I was entrapped as though in sand, buried deeply and sinking still, the grains becoming heavier and heavier. I struggled, I tried to swim, but I was consumed and forgotten. I had no name. No place. I was nothing.

"She's dead, Onyxtail. Leave her."

"No, she isn't," Onyxtail protested. It was a low voice like a tom's. "There aren't any wounds at all! She's probably faking."

"Leave her!" snapped the other cat. "It's one of the agents. We aren't supposed to hurt them!"

"Tigerstar said nothing about that."

I could feel something loaming over me. I had to get away fast because I was about to die.

I sprang up. Leaves and dirt scattered from my body. At first it didn't want to work, perhaps woozy and tired from the poppy seed or because my spirit had been gone so long from it. Either case, I tripped over the roots encircling me and fell flat on my face. My nose hurt. From the corner of my eye I could see Onyxtail, a white and brown tom with a black tail standing there, amusement on his near see-through face. He was made of shadows, but I could see his coloring, but also that he was fading away to non existance. He wasn't long for the Dark Forest. Perhaps only the thoughts of battle had kept him around.

His companion was a silver and ginger tom and seemed startled that I'd awoken.

"We're sorry, Morningsong," he tried to say, but Onyxtail lunged forward, yowling.

I scrabbled for my feet just barely leaping away as he landed where I'd been. I turned swiftly and growled into his face. He snarled back at me and took a swipe, jumping after as I backed away. I knew I didn't have long. I was being destracted, unable to get to my Clan, and also I was marked for death. Any longer in the Dark Forest and I would have ended up like my sister Morningsong. Dead.  
I ducked and Onyxtail went over. It was surprising how quickly I could relearn my warrior apprentice training. It must have been with Sunstorm and Redfur when we escaped the hill cave. We didn't really fight there, but enough so I had a bit of practice.

I stared at the last tom but he just seemed uncertain and I knew he wasn't the threat. I turned around just as the spotted tom landed a blow to my rump. I yowled as the claws dug deep, peeling fur and muscle. I took a swipe at him, my claws out all the way. I hit him and he closed his eyes, but then my paw went through. It didn't go quickly, but slow as if I were digging sand or pushing against a very strong wind. And it was as cold as frost.

My paw came out, no blood, nothing. Onyxtail could see my shock and he grinned at me, laughing.

"So you see, my dear. You can't wound me. I am invicible!" He yowled and charged.

I stared at him in horror and started running away. I wasn't sure where I was at until I left behind the tree. I wasn't very far from camp. Morningsong hadn't hidden my body far, probably she wanted to find me again after the battle. I raced for the camp entrance. I plunged into the brambles. From behind, I could still hear Onyxtail.

"You can't get away my sweet thing."

Terror bubbled inside of me. I pushed my legs to go faster and came out of the darkness into the red night. I'd thought I'd been prepared. I'd had my vision with Eveningbreeze. Yet when I left the tunnel, I didn't realize how bad it would be. Eveningbreeze had been unattached. She didn't know my Clan, the cats or their names, didn't care about them, so I'd felt nothing, yet just as I got there, I felt anguish rush through me. There was Dewstep lying too still.

I wanted to slide to a halt, to exaiming everything. The dead body near the other side of the quarry, the ones near the entrance. The yowls of terror and anger. I couldn't stop in time and slammed into the Dark Forest cat guarding the entrance. They wanted no one to escape, they hadn't thought about anyone coming through.

She stumbled and I leapt over her. Onyxtail came next and triped over her. They scrambled on the ground, hissing and spitting at each other. Claws out, they started fighting. I felt relieved that he wasn't after me.

I could see my Clanmates, huddled against the quarry stone walls, three of them lined up. Others up near the dens snarling at shadow-cats that tried to break in. I could see Bramblestar in one of the small groups along the wall. He was facing another dark brown tabby, one with a white underbelly and blue eyes. But it wasn't Hawkfrost, just a similar cat. For a moment I wondered where Eveningbreeze and Hawkfrost were but then I heard a yowl. Everything seemed to pause and everyone held their breath, looking up as two terrified cats came falling from the sky.

They tumbled down the side of the quarry wall near the nursery. Hawkfrost cluched in the paws of dark gray and ginger Eveningbreeze. She'd thrown them both off of the side. Yarrowthorn and Sootwhisker just stared down, blinking their red-shining eyes. With a loud thud the two Dark Forest warriors hit the hard ground, where faint dust rose into the sky.

I didn't see more, because that was when Onyxtail shoved that she-cat by the entrance away and with a roar lunged for me. I squeaked, I admit quite like a kit, and hurried away, racing toward the medicine cat den, the only place I'd ever felt safe. I could see Jayfeather at the top. He and Whitewing were fighting off a white cat on the narrow ledge. I halted down below, unable to go up the trail while they were in the way. I turned as Onyxtail reached me.

He was quick, aiming for my face. I ducked down, and gathered my paws under me to leap. I sprang up as his paw came down and he started to switch to the other, claws out. I bounded into him and forced him back, knocking him over. He landed on his side, grunting in surprise, but hardly hurt. I stood over him too long. He pulled his back legs up and scratched my belly. I yowled and flipped to my feet again, raking him down his ear and jumping over just as he rose.

"Fawnfur!"

I looked over my shoulder. Jayfeather was staring down at me, I could catch the movement of his eyes that said for this short moment he could actually see. Whitewing glanced my way and fended off another attack.

"Hurry up here!" Jayfeather yowled.

"I'm busy!" I yelled back, running away as Onyxtail tried to jump on top of me. I jumped sideways and twisted my back until I was facing another way and ran to the quarry wall. With my back to it, I growled at the black, white, and brown tom. He spat at me.

"You aren't Morningsong?" he asked.

I flicked an ear in a negative motion and his eyes narrowed.

"My sister," I told him. "You were too late. She's already dead."

He scowled.

I had guessed right. He'd wanted to kill Morningsong himself for some reason. I didn't even want to know. The more I learned of my sister's past, the more I cringed. Thinking of my sister, I glanced over at Hawkfrost and Eveningbreeze. They were on their feet, though each bent over as if in pain. They circled each other. Eyes hard and locked, their fur fluffy, tails thrashing. They didn't attack, just stared and circled, looking for an opening. Hawkfrost moved first, snarling as he dove forward. Eveningbreeze expected it and jumped up, landing as he hit the ground. She got wrapped about his head and they were both on the dirt, rolling and kicking, biting hard. They pushed each other away and got back to it circling again. It was a different fight than I was used to seeing or experiencing or hearing about. This was deadly. They weren't holding back, no reason to as they couldn't die again.

Onyxtail ran forward again, knowing I was pinned against the wall and either trying to use that to his advantage, or to make use of my inattention. He ran, paws pounding, but he didn't get far. The cat on the ledge fell down in front of me, scrabbling for a hold, but unable to get one as Jayfeather and Whitewing shoved him down. Onyxtail hit this other Dark Forest warrior instead of me. I flinched away and turned, struggling up the trail where Jayfeather and Whitewing grabbed my scruff and pulled me up. There was hardly any room for all three of us and we balanced where we were. Onyxtail spat at the white tom and looked up at us. I noticed the white tom was Snowclaw, one of the Dark Forest guards at the cave.

"These cats," Jayfeather meowed. "They are difficult."

"I guess they would be," I nodded.

"Welcome back," Whitewing meowed.

I tilted my head, not sure what she meant, until I remembered. I'd been exiled. I'd been missing from my Clan for at least a day or two. She wasn't attacking me like Bramblestar said my old Clan should if they ever saw me again. That was fortunate.

"We did learn that these cats are more solid than nothing at all," Jayfeather meowed.

"What do you mean?"

"They can't go through solid things. If they could, we would all be dead. They'd walk through walls and trees and bushes. They can't. We'd be dead otherwise."

"They trapped us in the quarry," Whitewing meowed as we watched Onyxtail and Snowclaw start up the trail toward us. "We didn't have any warning. The night guard went missing. I think it was your sister. I fear they might have gotten her first."

I nodded slowly, not saying a thing. I noticed Jayfeather glance at me and frown. I was certain he could see and hear my raw thoughts. Of what happened in the Dark Forest.

"I'm sorry," I whispered. "I couldn't stop it."

"It doesn't matter," he rumbled back quietly. "I'm sorry for your loss."

I glanced out over the quarry. The dead bodies laying on the ground, the living fighting to stay alive, but loosing as they grew tired and lost blood. I wanted to run down there and give them herbs and cover them with cobwebs. But I knew I'd never make it through the row of Dark Forest cats. And my patients would be moving too much to put anything on them.

My roving eyes landed on Hawkfrost and Eveningbreeze. They still fought, though sluggishly and they wobbled and almost tripped when they came back apart. Finally Eveningbreeze just collapsed and lay gasping. Hawkfrost loomed over her, snarling and dragging his claws over her throat. She couldn't die, but lay there gasping and struggling.

"This time you won't get away," he snarled. I could hear him from where they were at, and was mildly surprised. My heart raced as I looked down on them. I had lived in Eveningbreeze's head for a short time and I felt hate for Hawkfrost. He'd killed my sister. This once I wanted her to win, to get up and hurt him, make him fade away into nothing and never return.

Eveningbreeze gurgled and bared her teeth. She glared, but her eyes started rolling back, the whites at the very edges becoming apparent. Then suddenly, she grinned. Her eyes snapped back. She started to fade. I could see the ground beneath her body. She left quickly, retreating, I could tell, and still very much alive. She was escaping the only way she could, back to the Dark Forest. She was finally gone and Hawkfrost slammed his paw into the ground out of anger.

"No!" he yowled, and hissed.

I turned away as Onyxtail leapt up to face us. Snowclaw was right behind him. Somehow we held them at bay, although it was tough to maneuvor on our ledge. We were stronger together, but below, more cats fell and didn't get up. It wouldn't be long until my Clan was dead. It was inevitable. It always had been. Then the stars started falling.

Down they came, shooting through the sky. It was suddenly bright again and when I looked up, I could see a piece of the moon. The shadow had fallen back and now the silver was coming through as were the stars. It wasn't long before I could see StarClan warriors darting into the quarry, pouring through the bramble tunnel and lighting the walls and ground in wavering light. It seemed like sunlight reflecting off a water. The Dark Forest cats seemed surprised and froze. They didn't hold back, though, and started attacking this new foe. ThunderClan regrouped and helped fight the shadow-cats.

They disappeared slowly, fading away like Eveningbreeze had, or running from camp, dodging the Clan cats. Jayfeather went into the medicine cat den and I could hear him dragging out bundles of herbs. Whitewing jumped down and raced after the shadow-cats yowling as loudly as she could, getting a few swipes in. I smiled and started to turn away as well.

Claws dug deeply into by back legs. I yowled as I was pulled off the ledge to the ground below. Onyxtail stood on top of me and released one paw. I stared into his blue eyes and shivered. I tried to roll over, but he was strong and had a good hold on a correct angle, that made me immoble. I couldn't move my back so I couldn't twist over. I watched his paw come down, the claws out, and thought I would die.

A streak of light jumped toward us. A ginger paw swiped Onyxtail's out of the way. It came back down swiftly and hit a white leg. Onyxtail fell. I wiggled out from him as he started to rise. Firestar didn't give him time, biting the Dark Forest tom's scruff and dragging him away from me. There he shook him and finally released him. Onyxtail gave him one look, snarled, and ran off, two ThunderClan cats giving chase.

My former leader turned back to me and smiled.

"Thank you," I told him softly.

He just nodded. I blinked and watched as he faded away. All round me the rest of the StarClan cats left. It was suddenly much darker in the quarry. They'd left so quickly! I sighed. It was over. All over. I looked around. I could see the bodies against the wall. I didn't go over, fearful of who they might be. Instead I hopped up to the medicine cat den and grabbed my own bundle of herbs. It was time I cared for the living.

As the dawn lit a firey red hue in the bright blue sky above the green tall treetops, I was leaning over treating Greeneyes. My eyes felt gummy and overly large. I just kept nodding. I wanted to sleep. My paws hurt and a wound on my rump was stinging. I hadn't noticed it until the StarClan warriors left.

Someone cleared their throat. I blinked and turned my head, looking around. Bramblestar was sitting nearby. He was as scratched and wounded as the rest, might have lost some lives too, but it seemed Jayfeather had gotten to him because he smelled of marigold and horsetail. For a moment I shrank away, remembering his cold rage when he cast me out. He held none of that anger and disapointment now.

"I'm sorry, Fawnfur," the leader told me. "I was wrong."

"Yes, very," Jayfeather snapped, walking over to us.

I was aware how much attention we were drawing. Cats laying or sleeping, or preparing the dead turned to look at us. There was no anger or disgust in their eyes this time. They knew I'd been telling the truth. They'd lived through it.

"I-" The words seemed to get stuck in his throat. Bramblestar looked between my mentor and me as though uncertain. "What we just saw. . .those Dark Forest cats. I was wrong." He bowed his head.  
He couldn't look at me and kept his amber eyes on his large paws instead. "I was so wrong. I'm sorry for exiling you and for doubting you. You can be a member of this Clan again. I just. . . I just need to tell you that. Please forgive my stupidiy."

I swallowed. I just couldn't bring myself to say anything. I clenched my teeth, remembering the way he cast me out and sent my own Clan to get rid of me. How sad and depressed I'd been and had to find solace in an enemy Clan. I looked around at the others. They nodded to me and I heard their own murmers of regret and how they'd wronged me.

Bramblestar's eyes came up and he looked at me from his lowered head. He waited for my answer. But I had none to give.

I turned away from him without a word and looked instead to my mentor. He just blinked his sightless eyes and nodded to me. It was my decision.


	24. Chapter 21: Sunstorm

_Dislcaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter_

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**Chapter 21**

The moon was revealed and as Redfur and Sunstorm watched the stars fall from the sky and StarClan fight the shadows, they knew it was time to leave. The Dark Forest cats would come back soon. She didn't want to be there when Tigerstar and the others returned. They would be angry at their defeat and want revenge against StarClan. As Redfur and Sunstorm were the only two in the Dark Forest that would qualify, they better leave before the return.

"All right," Sunstorm stood up and looked at her friend and sister. "Let's go."

"How?" Morningsong questioned. "Do we jump in?" She nodded at the Darkpool.

It had shrunk down to a tail length. She eyed it, thinking how small and uncomfortable it would be to jump in. After reaching this size, the black water level seemed to remain constant. It no longer dried up and Sunstorm was worried it might have completely stopped. But leaving the Dark Forest had precedence.

"We'll think our way out," Sunstorm declared. "I don't really want to use this if I don't have to. Besides, I don't think it works in StarClan. Only on the living world. I'm just guessing of course."

"Then the StarClan spy would have to come here," Redfur meowed, tilting his head. "Because the Dark Forest cat couldn't leave."

"Yep," Sunstorm nodded. Then she frowned at him. "Don't bring that up again. I'd prefer not to think that someone would betray us."

"There was one in every Clan, Sunstorm," Morningsong meowed. Then she shook her head. "So. . . How do we leave if not by the Darkpool?"

"We think," Sunstorm smiled, knowing her sister wouldn't have any idea what that meant.

Morningsong stared blankly at her, her face a disbelieving mask. There was an eagerness about her as they spoke of StarClan. Sunstorm knew she really wanted to go. And Sunstorm wanted her sister with her. Morningsong hadn't expressed anything as she stared into the Darkpool as they watched the Clans die. There had only been silence. Horror and ill feeling from Redfur and Sunstorm. Silence from Morningsong, but there was a weary sigh on occasion. They'd watch their own Clan during the fight. ThunderClan and Fawnfur.

"Close your eyes," Sunstorm told her sister. "And listen to my voice. When I tell you to walk, take a step."

Morningsong nodded and closed her eyes. Redfur looked at Sunstorm, their eyes meeting and they held gazed for a few heartbeats before he closed his golden orbs. Sunstorm let out her breath and darkness filled her vision.

"There is a lake. Much like the one you know. The forest grows thickly around it. There are reeds and streams, a wild field and a place of fallen boulders. There are cats. The land is bright. The sun shines high, except at night of course," she frowned at her mistake. "There is a soft wind, and everything glitters with starlight."

She could feel herself there and behind her eyelids she was sure a soft light pushed through. And the smell, it was different. The smoke was gone; there was soft grass everywhere, tickling her fur as the moon shone down on her, full and grand. And there was Hazeltail, her friend and mentor. Sunstorm had to smile at the memory. Wouldn t Hazeltail be surprised to see her again after so long.  
"Now walk," she breathed out. She took a step. . . .and opened her eyes to an empty land.

She shook her head, staring around. It was so silent. She could see the lake to her left, a line bobbing and rising with silver light. And there was the moon above. The light looked so weak. It was completely full, but was still covered with slight darkness. And all around her there was silence as if the whole of StarClan had vacated. It was strange, because as long as Sunstorm had been in Silverpelt the lake area had been completely active. There'd been cats everywhere. Mentors training apprentices, kits tumbling about, cats hunting, mock fights. All sound and yowls, hardly any room to move without stepping on someone else.

"If I didn't know they were below, I'd think something wiped them out," Redfur meowed, shivering. He didn t like the absence either.

She looked over at him. He sat down beside her, the only cat she could see from either horizon. His fur had slightly lost the luminosity it shone with in the Dark Forest. But she wasn't surprised. The moon could easily drown out their natural light. It also didn't catch her interest.

She looked around, craning her neck, searching in the long grass. Her nose twitched and she breathed deeply. Yet she couldn't see or smell Morningsong.

"She's still there," Redfur meowed quietly.

Sunstorm swallowed, a sudden ache in her chest. "Maybe she doesn't know how to get here. We should go back. Maybe she should use the Darkpool." She was just babbling now, hoping that something might work that there was a reason her sister wasn't with them.

"Hush, Sunstorm, hush," he purred, pressing close until his chin was on top of her head. She leaned into him, closing her eyes tightly. "I've retrieved spirits before," he told her softly. "They came easily. It was as if they knew the way already or were drawn here. If she didn't come, it's because. . ."

He couldn't say it. She didn't want him too.

"I can't leave her there," she sighed, eventually pulling away from him.

He stared at her with his golden eyes, slowly looking down. "I didn't want to say this. But she. . . she's meant to be there. She did wrong, she did evil things, let them happen, knowingly guided the Dark Forest into destroying the Clans. She is a Dark Forest cat. She deserves to be there."

Sunstorm swallowed and glared at him. How dare he say that! Her sister was a good she-cat deep down. She would not give up.

"Take me to the leaders," she growled.

"What?" he stared at her.

"Take me to where the leaders will meet. I know they'll want to talk after they get back. Take me there wherever they ll be."

"But why?" he demanded as she stood up.

"They're the only ones who can permit Morningsong into StarClan. I will convince them to let her."

"But they-"

"They will listen to me!" Sunstorm spat. "I will make sure they listen. I don't care what you say, but my sister should not be left there. She only made a mistake. Why should that ruin the rest of her afterlife? Will you take me?" she asked a bit more softly afterwards. She stared at him, but he was looking away, staring at the moorland horizon.

"Redfur?"

"Yes," he sighed, closing his eyes. "I will take you. They will decide."

"Thank you," she nodded to him.

They started walking off. Redfur was limping again on his broken paw, leading the way. If Sunstorm knew the StarClan territory and how it was based off of the Clans territory below, they were headed for the Moonpool. As they walked, she could suddenly see little specks of light flare around them. Cats were returning, forming into beings as they returned from the land below and back to the sky. They seemed pleased, purring, laughing, and chasing each other around in merriment. But there were the occasional few who just stopped, staring into the distance as if someone they knew had died or what they'd seen had hurt them. Sunstorm felt like the latter. This war had wounded her.

Eventually they made it to the plateau. It wasn't quite like the Moonpool below. Sunstorm looked around in interested. This was her first time going. The way to the pool was much steeper and covered with trees. They followed a narrow rocky stream up. The Moonpool was hidden behind the forest, on top of a plateau. She looked at a nearly vertical stone face and thought of the Tribe of Endless Hunting. There were ledges along the way and she knew it wouldn't be easy, but they'd get there.

"You've been there before?" she questioned Redfur.

"Never," he meowed. "I just know of it because Harestar told me they meet here. I'm sure there are many other places the leaders go, but this is the only one I know of."

They struggled to the ledges and the small path upward. Redfur wincing all the way, favoring his front paw, unable to use it fully. She felt an ache inside her watching him. She knew this activity wasn't healthy for his paw and it wouldn't heal, but she'd insisted. Now that they were so close they couldn't turn back. There were a few close calls, Redfur almost falling on her, but she kept careful watch, ready to catch him.

They reached the top. There were no trees here, but the ones growing below reached tall, covering the lake from her sight. She sat at the edge, panting and staring out into the green dark. She became aware of a light behind her. Her shadow stretched down and away from her. She slowly turned.

The slope continued onward and slightly higher where more trees had taken root, but where the water and waterfall were was almost barren, just stone, swirling gray and brown, speckles of quartz, glimmering in the moonlight like stars. The water was the clearest blue and it rippled in a small dip. Cats sat around it. Glowing cats.

They looked at her, seeming almost shocked that she was there at all. Redfur was near her side, his head bowed as if in reverence.

"Sunstorm?" It was Firestar.

She spotted the flame-ginger tom near Bluestar. And there were other leaders and even medicine cats, but not all of them. She knew they'd never all fit on the plateau near the water. They were just the more recent additions. If recent meant generations. She didn't know all of them and didn't really care. Some she'd seen before in passing, never realizing they were even leaders or medicine cats.  
"What are you doing here?" asked a querulous voice. A brindled tom frowned at them. "Only we are allowed here. I don't remember anyone inviting you."

"Harestar," Redfur murmured. "So good to see you again."

The brindled tom glared at him.

Sunstorm's ears tilted. And she'd thought they were friends. The brother relationship must have faded over time.

"If you came for a visit, it might be best if you leave until later," a black medicine cat spoke up, smiling at them.

"Is it really important?" some she-cat asked, peering around larger shoulders.

"Yes," Sunstorm meowed. She looked among them, but her eyes kept returning to the familiar faces she knew. She looked at Firestar. "I ask you to pardon my sister."

"Which one?" Harestar interjected. "That Fawnfur who told the Clans all about the Dark Forest when we told her not to, or that Morningsong who worked with our enemies?"

Sunstorm frowned at him, her whiskers forward. She really didn't like him.

"I ask you to pardon Morningsong. She acted out of grief. She died while trapped in the Dark Forest and should really be here. With me."

"Not possible," a dark brown she-cat shook her head.

"But you can make that decision, take someone from the Dark Forest and bring them here," she protested.

"That is the rumor," Bluestar nodded her head. "But really we don't."

Sunstorm blinked and stared at them.

"We have the ability to guide dead warriors to StarClan," Tallstar meowed, "but actually changing judgment we can't do."

"Judgment?" she asked. "Whose judgment?"

There was a general silence as if no one wanted to venture into that territory. She turned her eyes to Firestar.

"I am not acquainted with many things here," he meowed slowly, brow creased. "But I believe our spirits go to either the Dark Forest or to StarClan based on what they've done in life. Greater good against the greater wrong. Whether we were selfish or caring, killed or helped others. Not quite as strict as the warrior code, but not flinging it away like dirt. If we meant what we said and acted as we spoke. Your sister's actions condemn her to the Dark Forest."

"And you can't change it?" Sunstorm whispered.

"Unless everyone is in agreement, or the majority," Firestar meowed. "I don't think so."

"But there," she jumped on his words. "You said it wasn't possible to bring her here, but you said you all had to agree to change it."

"Changing destinations is a tricky thing," Bluestar meowed. "We can't watch while every cat of the Clan dies, or even blood relatives to the Clan. Nor do we know where everyone winds up. That is why we have guides. We must send one of our own to guide the recent dead into StarClan and teach them. If left alone, the spirits might stay on earth or go somewhere else. But usually the cats of the Dark Forest arrive without any help."

"But you can get them out." She didn't care about the rest, just that they could, that it was possible they could permit Morningsong into StarClan.

"I don't think she should be here," Harestar growled.

Sunstorm hissed at him, and rose to her feet. She would jump on him. Just one more nasty word, it didn't matter if he was a leader or not.

Then a tail brushed down her side. It was Redfur, trying to calm her. But she could see that he too glared at his brother. She felt pleased with his support and took heart.

"The Dark Forest is a place of punishment," Tallstar meowed.

"Cats go there because they don't deserve to be with the rest of us," meowed some other cat. "It is a place they can think over all the wrong they've done, and maybe, possibly, change, feel regret and sympathy."

"In that place?" Sunstorm spat, remembering the thorns and darkness. "No cat could change there. Not with all the darkness. It's inhospitable and unfriendly. A cat has to be hard just to survive there."

"And how would you know?" Harestar asked, his voice just as irritating.

"We were there," Sunstorm told them. "We were there and saw it. Saw the Darkpool, all of the cats, and how horrible it was."

"You were not permitted there," the leaders and medicine cats all seemed to say in one way or another. "We don't go there and they don't come here. We stay out of each other's territories."

"We went to stop Tigerstar directly because you wouldn't," Sunstorm growled, glaring at them all. "And we learned something. There is a spy among you. They were feeding the Dark Forest information about you, all of your moves and what you learned. About Fawnfur and the prophecy you gave her and the ShadowClan cats."

They stared at her in silence. She could see them sharing glances.

"We would like to hear about your adventure," the dark brown she-cat spoke up. "One of these days. How you came to get there." It was obvious they didn't realize she'd been out of territory for more than a moon. "But first, we will tell you you're mistaken."

She blinked and wondered what this leader was taking about.

"We gave them that information," Bluestar meowed. "We gave them information we wanted them to know. That spy was our plant. He worked for us, telling us what the Dark Forest was doing."

"Oh." That was the only thing she could think to say. "What of my sister?"

"We will not let her be one of us," Harestar meowed without consulting any of the others. "She did wrong. She tried to kill the Clans. End of story."

"She isn't even sorry," the black medicine cat meowed. "She feels justified for her actions. Glad that we've been hurt. And hurt we have."

"And how do you know that?" Sunstorm demanded. "What are you? Are you reading her thoughts?"

The medicine cat's head shook. "No, it is just obvious. Given time, she might change. Then we'll bring this up again. Then we will speak to her."

There was a general agreement among the cats. Sunstorm's eyes widened. They wouldn't even consider it anymore. She tried to speak up, but Harestar came with a few other leaders and herded her to the narrow path they'd used to walk up. She and Redfur had to retreat. Leave the Clan leaders and medicine cats to talk about their victory. But Sunstorm wouldn't give up so easily.

"You didn't even say anything," she grumbled.

"No," he agreed.

"Why?" she snapped, glaring at his back as he led the way down.

"Because I agree with them, okay?" He glanced back up at her. "I don't think Morningsong is ready to live in StarClan. Just being with her made my fur stand on end. She only wants here to be with you. She wants to be here because it s all she's ever known she s supposed to come to, and she s seen the Dark Forest and doesn t like it. But she was quite happy with letting StarClan fail, let the Clans be torn apart."

Sunstorm felt a part of her agreeing with him. She knew it was right what the leaders and medicine cats had said and decided. She knew that her sister had done wrong and watching the Clans in the pool had stirred an angry, disgusted feeling inside her. But there was the other part. The part that knew Morningsong as family and that she couldn't give up on her. Morningsong was her sister. The smiling she-cat kit who SAW the present and was smart and enjoyed hunting.

"We're going back," Sunstorm meowed.

"Back?" Redfur was confused.

"We have to tell Morningsong what happened. Maybe then she'll change."

He sighed and nodded. She closed her eyes and without another thought, went to the Dark Forest. It was easier than expected, the shift to the other level, to the darkness.

She opened her eyes. She was in the dip again, near the black water as if she'd never left. But the water level was so shallow and small now, just the size of a cat head and was getting smaller heartbeat by heartbeat. Her sister sat nearby, gazing at it.

"I'm sorry," Sunstorm meowed. "I tried, but you can't be a part of StarClan yet."

Morningsong looked at her with large yellow eyes. At her sister s words, she frowned. "I knew I couldn't trust them. Everything is their fault." And she stood up, scrambling up the slope, stones falling down around her as she raced away into the forest.

"Morningsong!" Sunstorm yowled. She tried to follow, dodging the stones hurling down at her, but Redfur caught her scruff and pulled her back. The ginger-brown tabby pelt of her sister disappeared over the crest to some unknown destination.

"Why did you stop me?" Sunstorm demanded, turning on Redfur.

"I can't let you get lost," he meowed.

"I won't get lost! I can go back to StarClan whenever I feel like it!"

"Then think!" he yelled back. "You'll get attacked by Dark Forest cats. Attacked and put into some den as a prisoner. Maybe they'd fight you or torture you if you got caught. It was foolish coming back so soon after the defeat."

"Certainly was."

Sunstorm's eyes widened and her heart leapt. She whirled around, looking for the other cat. A dark gray she-cat with ginger belly stood on the crest. The other side of the slope than Morningsong had taken. Dark crimson blood ran down from multiple wounds in the pelt. One eye was squinting, the tail broken. She stood as if her back were twisted like an elder. Blood bubbled at her nose at every breath. She looked like she should have died a second time.

"Tigerstar is angry, as are the rest," Eveningbreeze meowed. Her throat was sore and that was why Sunstorm hadn't recognized it at first. "They failed to destroy the Clan and somehow StarClan stopped them." She laughed a hacking cackle. "I watched you three. Watched you wait for the moon to come back. Such loyalty for Morningsong, waiting with her to take you with her. Too bad she isn't as perfect as you two."

"You," Sunstorm hissed, glaring up at her. "You did this to my sister. Made her get trapped here. You're the cause of her pain!"

Eveningbreeze shrugged her ripped shoulders. "I didn't force her into anything. Everything was her choice. But a word of warning, little StarClan cats, you better leave before the others arrive. They'll want to see how far the Darkpool is gone. They'll want to know how much power they have left. Perhaps for another assault."

"Will they be able to use this?" Redfur asked while Sunstorm shook with anger.

Eveningbreeze peered down at the Darkpool, something like regret in her eyes. "It is going. What power we have left. . . I don't know what they'll do with it. But things here have changed anyway because of it. I don't think we'll ever walk alone again."

"I don't know if I believe you," Redfur growled at her. Would all the power be gone soon? Would the Darkpool ever return?

Eveningbreeze smiled her familiar smile: a mixture of cruel pleasure and cheerful glimmer in her eyes. "You shouldn't of course. Goodbye." Her ears twitched as if she heard something coming. She started turning away, to limp into the Forest.

"You're why my sister is here. This isn't over between us!" Sunstorm yowled after. Eveningbreeze was going to pay for what happened to Morningsong. Sunstorm would make sure of it.

"It never will be," Eveningbreeze growled back, glaring down at the two StarClan warriors. "But that doesn't bother me. You're just another enemy to add to the list. Everyone hates me now. They blame me for causing our failure, for using up too much of the Darkpool's power, and I don't know what else for. Well I don't care." She glared, snarling, the calm demeanor gone in a flash. "I don't care what you do or if they hunt me to the ends of this forest. It was right what I did. My plan would have worked if you hadn't gotten involved. If Hawkfrost hadn't killed Morningsong or stopped me from reaching ShadowClan."

Sunstorm looked up, wondering just what plan Eveningbreeze was talking about. Had there been something she wanted to do with ShadowClan but unable to fulfill it? And then she realized Eveningbreeze had told her who'd murdered her sister. The rage burned just behind her heart.

"Leave before I decide to capture you myself," Eveningbreeze spat down at them. "You're lucky I'm not on good terms with anyone, or you'd be in the caves again." This time she left for good. Sunstorm could hear her disappear into the bushes and thorns.

Sunstorm snorted. How nice of Eveningbreeze to let them go. She stared at the Darkpool, but it was only the size of a paw. She was sure it would be gone eventually.

"Hey! StarClan!" The call was an alert.

She and Redfur looked up. There was a cat above, standing on the same side of the gap Morningsong had gone. He was calling to other cats.

"We better get out of here," Redfur meowed.

She completely agreed. As they left, she looked at him. He really was patient with her. She doubted any other tom would put up with her demands, follow her out of the territory, and to the Dark Forest itself. Stick by her side even when he disagreed with her. He truly was kind. She smiled at him, but he didn't see, because his eyes were closed.

The next time they opened, the two were back in StarClan.

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**Sunstorm is determined to believe her sister belongs in StarClan. She didn't see everything that Morningsong did in her past, and can only remember when they were apprentices and kits. She feels sympathy and would rather believe it was a mistake that her sister is in the Dark Forest. After all, Forest from **Wandering Through** did wrong, but he was ultimately a good cat.**

**Morningsong however feels sorry for herself. She wants to go to StarClan because she knows the Dark Forest and the horrible cats in it. She doesn't like what she faces. However because she's now trapped in the Dark Forest, she is secretly pleased that she could get away with her plan, that she could hurt StarClan by letting the Dark Forest attack and giving Eveningbreeze and Tigerstar the information.**


	25. Epilogue

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter_

_Let us hear from a few voices we've read in the past._

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**Epilogue 1**

_Some moons later_

**_-Mallowstalk-  
_**  
It was dark. The light was dim, the moon only a narrow crescent hanging in the sky. Stars glittered above the twisted tree tops. The boulder was cold and rough beneath her. She breathed in and out her chest rising and falling, the smell of pines wafting to her from her perch. She stared into the black and silver beyond, to the swathe of stars declaring Silverpelt. She could still remember the night the stars had fallen in silver and gold streaks and starry warriors fought among the trees. It had been an odd night, full of terror and death.

On the return from the Moonpool, she joined a small group in the center of the camp, which included her and her siblings, two apprentices, and some other warriors. She thought the Clan would be able to win, to fight back and chase the shadows from camp. Instead, the Dark Forest had regrouped after the initial surprise of reinforcements and pulled two cats from the center. The rest of the Dark Forest cats left the Large Stump and came for the disorganized group. Mallowstalk could see no way out but to run. She and the others left standing fled from camp and into the forest. She could hear the paws of the dead cats coming after her and felt a frozen fear run through her. Her sister and brother were on either side of her and she felt they might get away if they left Clan territory.

She was going to suggest it or hope they just followed her, but Honeybee had stopped.

"I'm not going to run," she'd said. "I'm fighting. I'm not a coward or kittypet." And she stopped and turned back. Mallowstalk and Badgerface didn't really see it. The action didn't even register in Mallowstalk's mind until she noticed the golden she-cat was no longer by her side. She turned back to see Honeybee snarling into the face of two large toms and one she-cat. The three who'd followed the fleeing Clan members. These three weren't scared and Honeybee was quickly pinned without much fight.

Mallowstalk realized the rest of the smaller group was nowhere in sight. They'd fled or been caught. She wasn't sure what happened after that. Why she abandoned her sister and didn't defend her. Perhaps she really hadn't seen Honeybee leave her or heard her say those words. Perhaps she'd only imagined that, later inventing some reason why, when she finally returned to camp, Honeybee was dead.

Badgerface and Mallowstalk hid in the forest outside Clan territory, almost to the twoleg nest where the kittypets there took one look at them and disappeared. She and her brother panted and hid beside a fallen log. One curve was rotted out, flaking with large chunks to the ground. They huddled beside it, hidden in its shadow. It was cold and silent there, the rough bark poking into their bellies and paws, the very slight sounds of insects moving in the wood. They kept their eyes wide, back to back, just breathing and listening to the heavy silence in the forest. It felt as if the Dark Forest was hunting them. They didn't come out until Badgerface saw the streaks of light in the sky. They pulled away from the log's side and stared upward. Though the moon was slowly but surely casting off the dark shadow that had swallowed it, they weren't sure if it were safe to return to camp and waited until dawn.

Mallowstalk felt nervous when they returned. She was so afraid she and her brothers were the only ones left alive. That Lakefrost and Fallingstar and Acornpelt and the others were dead. That she and Badgerface would see their lifeless damaged bodies. She was scared she would have to bury them all. Her fear helped her discover something about herself.

"I'd never survive as a loner."

That had been a few moons ago. It was all over now. Mallowstalk sighed and looked down from the beautiful clear sky. She hopped off of the boulder and twitched her nose, searching for a scent.

She'd often contemplated leaving the Clan and living on her own. She was a very good hunter and could provide for herself. Her fighting skill was moderate and she knew she could defend against anything or else run. There was also the part of her that disliked large gatherings of cats and didn't like being with them or closed spaces. But when the threat of having no Clan at all arrived, and after returning to the camp, she saw the bodies laid out before the Large Stump, she felt pain. These familiar cats were dead. She missed them, wondering what life would be like without their voices and advice or solid presence. She watched Acornpelt playing with his kits and mate, smiling though tired eyed. She realized she needed and wanted others she could care for and know intimately.

Pine-scent from the trees curled about her nose, blown in by the chill in the air that wafted off the lake. Beneath the strong usual scent, she could detect an earthy smell of mice. It squeaked and seemed to be clawing at something. Her ears twitched as she pin-pointed the direction. Step by step she approached the cedar tree, eyes on the twisted roots. She could see a little moving shape, digging up and clawing a small seed.

Body low, she stepped lightly and carefully. Closer, closer. The needles beneath her paws were a soft cushion. When she pounced, the mouse didn't know which way to go. It looked at her, to one side, and finally started clawing itself up a root to jump on the other side. But she was quicker and delivered a death bite before it could squeak.

"Good catch."

She looked up, the mouse dangling from her jaws. Stoneheart, a gray tom approached. He had a limp and one ear was freshly torn matching the old scar on the other side, but other than that he had a relaxed look about him. He was different, she thought, tilting her head.

"I wanted to talk with you," he meowed, looking down for a moment. His yellow eyes hid from the moonlight.

"All right," she dropped the mouse and sat. She wasn't surprised to see him out this late. A few of her Clanmates were nocturnal hunters. Everything seemed to go back to normal after the Dark Forest's attack. No need to fear the unknown any longer.

Stoneheart flicked an ear. "I've been talking with your brother. Badgerface. I'm going to teach him something. My sister, she, ah, taught me and Fernstripe a form of language with our bodies. So we could talk without words. We didn't need to talk to each other as long as we could see each other. I thought I could teach you and Lakefrost these gestures too."

"Why?" She couldn't think why he'd help or offer something like this. She didn't think he knew about such things. He rarely ever talked and seemed as scared of large crowds as she. She'd been terrified of too many cats, of stares, and what they might be thinking. But now he seemed immune somehow as if it no longer bothered him. Perhaps she could find the same security.  
"I want to help," Stoneheart replied. "I can and I think he'd be miserable not knowing what you were saying."

She nodded, agreeing.

"So would you like to learn?"

"Yes. Will you teach us together?"

"Of course. In the morning."

She smiled. "Thank you for this."

He nodded and blinked softly.

"You have any more prey? I'll help you take it back."

"Sure."

So she picked up the mouse and they made their way back to camp, stopping only once for her small cache. Things were back to normal, she thought, walking confidently into the darkness. Her black paws blended into the night and it appeared as if she were gliding.

_**-Sunstorm-**_

"You're back!"

Sunstorm raced through the reeds. They rocked and waved about her. She frequently closed her eyes, blinking furiously, nervous they might hit her. The green stalks parted around her as she splashed through the water toward the silver tabby. She'd heard the former RiverClan cat had come back.

"Sunstorm!" Feathertail heard the call and turned. A smile lit on her face. They leapt about each other like kits, taking playful swipes at each other.

"When did you get here?" Feathertail finally demanded as they panted.

"A long time ago," Sunstorm smiled. "Tell me, what happened?"

"Happened?" She seemed confused.

"The hawk, Cloud, Moss, Water, whoever, oh, and Star! What happened?" She leaned forward anxious to hear. Long ago, she'd fallen off the Tribe of Endless hunting's mountain as the giant golden hawk attacked. She just had to know if the others made it back all right. If Water that Softly Falls **(A/N formerly known as Feather that Falls Softly, except that it was too similar to Feathertail's name that I changed it)** had ever been found, or the other stolen Tribe cats.

"Well," Feathertail thought. "Moss and Star and the others came back safely. They ambush was a success and they killed the hawk and dragged it down with them. It was huge!" Her eyes widened. "It was so strange hearing about the mountain peak and the tree and actually seeing a bird big enough to carry a cat. They said how you fell and I, well I admit, I never thought I'd see you again."

Sunstorm smiled. "Can't get rid of me that easily!"

Feathertail laughed and blinked. "No, I guess not. So what happened to you?"

"No not yet," Sunstorm shook her head. "Did anything else happen there?"

Feathertail thought. "There were some more rogues, but the Tribe chased them away. And I stayed for a short time. I started coming back about a moon ago."

"But what about Water?"

Feathertail just shook her head. "Never saw her again. Star was sad, but killing the hawk seemed to satisfy him a bit. No one else stolen ever came back either."

"I suppose not," Sunstorm sighed. "But I'm still alive - so to speak- so I have a feeling maybe the others are still around. They just don't know the way back home."

"Maybe," Feathertail conceded. "Now what have you been up to?"

Sunstorm grinned. "A lot. Did you hear about the Dark Forest War?"

Feathertail nodded. "Silverstream and Graystripe were telling me this morning."

"Well, I have a lot more than they know." So she told Feathertail everything she'd done that moon. Feathertail listened in rapt attention. All the time their paws and fur got wetter and wetter, but Sunstorm didn't mind. She was having too much fun. Eventually Redfur came and found them. She leaned into him and kept talking.

After the story, Feathertail looked at Sunstorm, respect in her eyes. "I had no idea. And you got a tom in the process." She looked at Redfur who just grinned. "You aren't prepared for another adventure are you?"

Redfur looked at Sunstorm in question.

"No. I've had enough adventure for now. I've been so many places. Right now I just want to stay here."

"She's waiting on her sister," Redfur explained, licking Sunstorm's forehead.

Feathertail sighed and nodded. "But you really can't expect her to change?" She'd heard what Sunstorm had to say on the subject. The ginger-brown she-cat had a feeling the silver tabby felt like Redfur, that Morningsong deserved to be in the Dark Forest.

"You're both wrong," she scowled at them. "My sister will come here. I count on it. You didn't hear that no one from the battle arrived here, how when the guides when to get their spirits there weren't any? They're trapped in the Dark Forest. Slagwing found one. He had to bring her back here. They're all trapped there and we have to get them back before the Dark Forest captures them."

"And you think your sister is one of the lost spirits?" Feathertail asked in concern.

"Yes." Sunstorm nodded. "That she is. If I ever find her again, I'll try to get her back. But I think because the StarClan leaders made their decision, wrongfully, that she might have some trouble."

"She just needs time," Redfur meowed.

Her ear twitched and she wondered if he were talking about Morningsong or her. "Morningsong shouldn't stay there. She might have done what she did, but it was because of a mistake. She knows that. She deserves to be here," Sunstorm insisted.

Feathertail just shook her head. "I hope it works well for you."

Sunstorm nodded.

"Do want to go hunting?" Redfur asked the two she-cats.

"Sure," Feathertail shrugged. "Where do we go?"

"We'll teach you how to hunt rabbits," Sunstorm grinned.

"Oh, no," Feathertail moaned playfully, lowering her head. "I'll pass. You two have fun."

Sunstorm giggled and stood. "If you're sure."

Feathertail nodded and smiled. "Good luck."

"Same to you," Redfur nodded.

Then the two walked away from the reeds and to the moorland. Feathertail watched them walk away, a slight smile on her face.


	26. Epilogue 2

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter_

_A second Epilogue. Why? Because I had 2 prologues. It just felt right and one was too long._

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Epilogue 2

**__******

-Honeybee-

Hiding beneath the dome of thorns, she held her breath. Her heart pounded. It felt so strong. She could feel the blood coursing through her chest, where it leaked from the scratches on her golden legs and sides. The scratches hurt and she wasn't used to the thorns yet.

She could hear them outside the dome. She could hear them brushing against the thick undergrowth, grunting as they pushed against the thick undergrowth. There were three of them. They'd been hunting her for a few days now. She was running out of places to hide. They'd found her in the hollow tree, the evergreen bush, and then the one time she was just hiding in the thorns. She'd kept running, running out of the small territory she'd created as her own. The place she'd woken up in and become familiar with.

It had been so long ago. She didn't know when. She couldn't tell the time here. There was nothing, just darkness. No stars, no moon. Just a canopy of golden and red leaves mixed in with thick pine and fir needles. For a time she wondered if the Dark Night had never ended, that the world had become this wild land. But it became familiar to her. She'd been here before. She was in the Dark Forest.  
"This. Smell," a she-cat ordered. Her voice was little more than a coughing whisper.

"Blood," growled a tom.

"Hers?" inquired the last.

There was no reply. Honeybee could imagine them nodding. Her breath gasped out in a terrified shudder. They would find her soon. She knew this was a mouse-brain place to hide. She'd done this before. It was so obvious.

"I see it! I see a light!"

Honeybee's eyes widened. She could just make out brown fur in the gaps behind the thorn branches.

Her golden fur sparkled with little specks of silver light. She tried to have it not show, rolled in mud to hide her brilliant fur and cover the light, but still she wasn't very affective. She could see it now, glimmering and making the shadows bow away from her. Leaking right out to where the hunters were.

She whimpered, covering her muzzle with one scabbed paw. She backed away, pressing against the thorns at her back until they pierced. She looked around, hoping for an exit. She didn't know which way to go that they just wouldn't catch up to her again. "Here, kitty, kitty," the soft brown and white tom purred.

The she-cat snickered her breathy laugh.

"This is going to be fun," meowed the last.

They circled closer, pulling at the thorn branches with their claws. She could see their eyes now, reflecting in her light. She swallowed and watched them. They surrounded her and the dome. There would be no escaping now.

"No!" It was a quick thin wail.

The three hunters froze and looked up. They focused on something distant that Honeybee couldn't even see through the thorns. She thought she could hear something skittering through the undergrowth. A terrified racing.

"Mouse!" the she-cat whispered, breathing deeply. She stared at her companions and started running.

Honeybee could hear the sharp squeaking and then the small creature raced away in a new direction. The loud crashing and yowling of the three who gave chase. She sighed in relief and sank back down, closing her eyes. She had a brief thought that they weren't ever going to catch the thing. That loud way would never work.

"Get out of there."

It was the unknown cat.

Honeybee's eyes flashed open and she stared into the face of a light tabby she-cat.

"I didn't let that mouse get away just so you could stay here," hissed the newcomer. "Those things are rare and I just gave up my meal for you. Come on."

Honeybee stared in confusion as the she-cat stalked away, pushing effortlessly through the thistles and thorns. She reluctantly followed, not wanting to be in the dome when the three came back.  
"Wh-why did you do that?" Honeybee asked, trotting behind in the empty wake, avoiding the undergrowth by following the new path.

The tabby glanced back. "You're StarClan. Lost too."

"Yeah," Honeybee blinked. She felt nervous following along. Who knew what this Dark Forest cat had in store for her. But at least she'd been saved.

"How do you know about me?" Honeybee asked.

"There are others," the tabby shrugged.

"Really?" She was almost glad. She wasn't alone. There were others who'd ended up here too. But why?

"Uh huh. Glanced at the others before. You can tell because they glow. Like you."

"Did you save them?"

"No, they could handle themselves. Or else they were already caught. I'm a hunted she-cat too, not like I have the time to save everyone who gets themselves caught."

Honeybee blinked and examined this tabby. She had scars on her body, but nothing overly fresh but the marks on her legs, the usual fare from the thorns. She hadn't been fighting.

"You weren't in the battle, where you?" she just had to ask.

"No." a quick shake of the head. She didn't even turn around, but kept her determined pace. "I was buried down below."

"What?" She lowered an ear, not sure what that meant, other than it sounded horrible.

"Tigerstar thought he'd use me to draw my sister out," the she-cat growled. "So he had be buried in a small chamber. She never even came!" She was really angry, her tail thrashed and her voice cold. Honeybee suddenly remembered that the Dark Forest cats were in the Dark Forest for very good reasons.

"So how did you get out?" she asked quietly.

"The guards abandoned their post on the Dark Night, and I dug my way out. I've been on the run ever since."

"But you just caught a mouse."

"That I did. They're around, if you try really hard to get one. Rare though. There ve been fights as who gets it if others see you with a catch."

"Thank you," Honeybee whispered. She knew how hungry one got in the Dark Forest. She wished for a mouse or a frog. Even a slimy fish would do.

The tabby glanced back. "You're welcome."

"But why?"

Another glance. "Well." She shifted uncomfortably, then paused and turned back. The two she-cats faced each other and Honeybee shifted nervously. She wished yet again she was a better fighter. What if the tabby turned on her?

"This might sound odd."

Honeybee just waited. She kept silent, not sure how odd it would even be. She was in the Dark Forest after all, and she obviously wasn't supposed to be.

"Okay, well, I want to start a Clan," the she-cat declared.

Honeybee's jaw dropped. "What?"

"I said it would be silly." Her ears lowered and she stared at the ground.

Honeybee wasn't sure what to say. Clans in the Dark Forest?

"I'm tired of this all," the tabby continued. "I-" she licked her whiskered. "I think that we'd be better off if we could take care of each other. There'd be protection with more cats and maybe we could catch prey. It's a lot better than living on your own expecting to be ambushed any second. The others already have their small groups, but I want a Clan. They re stronger and safer."

Honeybee nodded. She did agree with that.

"So how many cats do you have?"

"Two," the she-cat meowed. "If you join."

Honeybee tilted her head. This she-cat seemed honest. She wasn't snarling or trying to kill a StarClan cat. But with just two of them there wasn't much advantage. Especially since Honeybee glowed like her own little star and would draw enemies.

"Who else do you have in mind?" She questioned. She took this Clan business seriously.

"All of the lost StarClan," the tabby replied.

"All?" Honeybee squeaked. "How many is that?"

"Quite a few, I think. I know you probably don't trust me, I mean I don't trust any of the cats here either, especially not my fox-hearted sister. I did everything for her. Listened to her, did as she ordered all my life. And this is how she repays me. Abandons me to Tigerstar and his lot. Let's them torture me for fun! I'm tired of it all, this horrible forest and being afraid I might run into somecat that wants me gone. So I want a Clan. And only StarClan cats will work. You have a reason to band together and I know I'll be safer with you."

"That's. . ." Honeybee couldn't form words. The tabby meant what she said. It was obvious. She felt she could definitely trust this she-cat. And she would feel safer in a Clan too. And with other StarClan members, even if they weren't in StarClan.

"I'll join," Honeybee meowed. "I'll help you find the others and convince them to join."

"Really?" the tabby she-cat looked thrilled and hopeful.

"Yes."

"Thank you! You can be deputy!"

Honeybee couldn't stop a foolish grin from crawling up her face. Perhaps they were just playing Clan-building, but it was still exciting. She'd found her first friend here in the Dark Forest.

"My name is Honeybee," she told her 'leader'. "What's yours?"

"Fernstripe, formerly of ShadowClan," the light tabby nodded her head, smiling back.

"Me too!"

And then started their search for more Clan members. Honeybee not realizing that perhaps one day, the real StarClan might find her and take her where she belonged.

_**-Lakefrost-**_

It was easy just walking here. Nothing to fear, no reason anyone would attack him. The border was back to normal, scents strongly coating the plants. Scentmarks from both ShadowClan and ThunderClan. He yawned and swung his tail, continuing to walk to the lake. He might have been hunting, but it felt nicer just to stroll. The sun was warm on his back. He felt like finding a rock to lie on and soaking.

A faint chill of coming leaf-fall was in the air. The leaves had brown or yellow ends, starting to curl and lose their green. There were more nuts in the trees, more squirrels leaping about, burying their caches. He'd caught two already.

The gray tabby's thoughts drifted. He wished his mate was with him, hunting. It was nice hunting solo, but some of the excitement and fun was gone. He'd rather be with someone. He'd rather be with her, sharing in the catch, eating with her. Instead she had to stay in the camp, caring for their kit. Little Ravenkit. A long-haired black just like she was. Except for the white at his throat and nose. Recently kitted he was. Only three days ago. Lakefrost's chest swelled with pride. Ravenkit might only be one kit, but he was Knotfur's and Lakefrost. Their kit. Something they could care for, a symbol of their love.

They weren't the only ones with kits either. Surprisingly Mallowstalk was heavy and had joined Knotfur. They enjoyed talking together in the nursery. Even Wrensong, though her ears and tail had been cut completely off, found Orangestripe to love. They were the first with kits about two moons ago. Lakefrost still had a feeling Orangestripe thought of Honeybee. Wrensong tried to distract him and it worked mostly. Perhaps Orangestripe loved her because she looked the least like Honeybee and wouldn't be able to remind him of his dead love. Wrensong's siblings were happy for her. Ashfall and Bluefern visited their niece and nephew every day.

Fallingstar held reservations about so many kits to be born near leafbare. Brownfeather tired to soothe her fears. They were a strong Clan and could provide. They had enough territory and the other Clans weren't threatening. The latest Gathering had been mostly peaceful, if less attended. Many cats had died and the other Clans felt the loss. Out of them all, ShadowClan fared best with only four dead.

The warrior ceremonies of Wrensong, Ashfall, and Bluefern didn't leave the apprentice den empty. Pinepaw and Chestnutpaw were very busy. They'd only been apprentices for about a half moon but had to clean and care for everyone. They seemed happy to finally have responsibility and tried to act like warriors, not like kits. They deigned ever being young. Lakefrost was amused by them. Chestnutpaw was his apprentice after all and though he trained her, she always looked up to her father Acornpelt. Sometimes Lakefrost would let the spotted tom take his daughter on patrols.

"I might as well bring something back for Knotfur," he meowed. He picked up his pace and widened his ears, twitching for the sound of prey. A bird would be nice for her.

"Lakefrost!"

The sound of his name brought him to a halt. His head came up and he looked around, searching for the cat. He heard his name called again and looked back. She was running along the border. A spring to her step. She'd filled out. She wasn't so depressed or hurried. She looked pretty. The sunlight rippled down her ginger-brown back, the leaves patterning shadows.  
He smiled at her when she caught up.

"I almost didn't smell you," she panted, licking her lips. She sat down, just outside the border line.

"Yeah, the scentmarkers were renewed recently," he agreed, facing her. It was nice to see her again. It had been so long. He'd almost feared she hadn't returned from the Dark Forest. If Ashfall hadn't said anything about seeing her at the Gathering, Lakefrost would have thought she was dead. So many had been lost in that battle.

"I didn't see you at the Gathering," she meowed, tilting her head.

"Well," he scuffed a paw on the ground. "Fallingstar kept her word about my punishment. I couldn't go to three Gatherings. This is the end, so I might be at the next."

Fawnfur had a surprised and shock look on her face. "But I thought that didn't matter anymore. I thought she wouldn't punish you. I mean you were helping me try to find out about the Dark Forest."

"It was actually more for my protection," Lakefrost shrugged, smiling gently. "She thought the Clans might be angry that we didn't warn them sooner."

Fawnfur slowly nodded. "I see what you mean. When I went, WindClan was bothering me about it and so was RiverClan. Their medicine cats didn't want to talk with me. They haven't at the half moons."

"So you're still a medicine cat?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yeah. And still in ThunderClan. Although you can see that." She looked at herself at and the line she hadn't crossed. "Bramblestar welcomed me back."

"And you decided to accept just like that?" She'd been so devastated when she'd been exiled. Lakefrost would think she'd never want to return to the Clan that didn't believe her and cast her out. He was almost annoyed that she had stayed. He would have liked her to stay in ShadowClan with him. But then he and Knotfur wouldn't have had Ravenkit. He thought about that. He would miss Fawnfur, not having her as a friend, but truly, he loved his mate more.

He looked at Fawnfur. She sat calmly, yellow eyes on him, her spotted ear twitching, listening to the sounds in her territory. She looked like before. When he first met her. A lonely feeling flooded into him. He never really got to know her. She was Fawnfur of ThunderClan, all he knew was her name and her status as a medicine cat. Not her likes or dislikes, her favorite places to hunt or pick herbs, who she'd treated, what she dreamed of as a kit, or what made her choose to become a medicine cat when she learned to be a warrior.

"I guess you want to know why I decided to stay," she meowed, misinterpreting his silence. She looked down. "My Clan needed me. I couldn't abandon them. Jayfeather. . . I couldn't just give up on him either. He taught me so much. Running to Summerheat Camp wouldn't have solved anything. I couldn't just hide there from my troubles. I had to face them and challenge, thrust my problems behind me. So I accepted to be a member again. I hope Fallingstar doesn't mind."

"She doesn't," Lakefrost assured her. "She thought this might happen."

Fawnfur nodded. "She did give me the option of returning. I'm sorry."

"What for?"

"That I didn't tell you sooner."

"How could you?" Lakefrost meowed. "I'm ShadowClan."

She gazed at him and Lakefrost could see how wide the gap really was between them. Not a physical tail length, but more. The way they saw each other and couldn't share everything.

"Morningsong is dead," she meowed. She lowered her eyes and sighed.

Lakefrost's ears twitched. He'd wondered what happened to her. Had the Clan done something?

"I never told the Clan," Fawnfur meowed quietly. "I just couldn't. I just let them believe the Dark Forest killed her first and came after the rest of us. Was I wrong?"

He shook his head. "No. I'd do the same."

He wanted to tell her about Honeybee. How his sister was dead. He wanted to tell her about Badgerface and how Stoneheart had taught the siblings this other way of communicating. That on the days Badgerface couldn't hear, they could still make him understand them. He'd had to relearn a few hunting techniques, but he and the Clan were adjusting. He wanted to tell her about Ravenkit. He wanted to tell her all of this, but he found he couldn't. They weren't as close. The danger brought them together. Their Clans were forcing them apart.

Paws pounded behind him and he glanced back. For a moment his heart froze and he wanted to hide somewhere, sure some cat was going to come and tell him to stop talking to Fawnfur. He almost expected everyone to forget what had happened and that ThunderClan and ShadowClan were enemies fighting over the border like usual.

A little brown she-cat raced through the trees, a sparrow dangling from her jaw. She blinked wide eyed at him and then dropped her catch, glancing at Fawnfur with suspicion.

"Look what I caught!"

"I see," Lakefrost nodded. "A good catch. The queens would love to have this."

"I wish Oakfur was still alive," Chestnutpaw sighed. "He would have told me stories if I brought him this."

Lakefrost too nodded sadly. That old tom had been elder ever since he was young. It was odd not having him or any elder around.

"Who is this?" Fawnfur meowed, interested.

Chestnutpaw went back to looking at her, with narrowed eyes.

"This is my apprentice, Chestnutpaw," Lakefrost introduced them. "This is Fawnfur. A friend."

Fawnfur blinked almost regretfully at the way he said it. Nothing more. Just a friend. Not how they'd supported each other or gotten in trouble just to meet. Faced the wrath of their Clan leaders and Clanmates.

"Nice to meet you," Chestnutpaw blinked.

"The same," Fawnfur smiled. "Weren't you that kit that got lost in the tunnels?"

Chestnutpaw scowled.

"She prefers not to remember how much trouble or danger she was in doing that. Following her dreams."

Chestnutpaw's frown got deeper. "I would never be so silly. I know better than to trust strange cats anymore." She looked pointedly at Fawnfur. "Can I go back to the camp now?" she asked, turning to Lakefrost.

He nodded. "Of course. Take your catch. See if Flametail could use any help. If not, you can do what you like."

"Thank you!" she purred, scooping up her sparrow and ran off.

He admired all that energy. It was hard to remember that he was like that too. That Ashfall not long ago was also rambunctious and eager for adventure.

"She'll get a sharp tongue," Fawnfur shook her head.

Lakefrost glanced over. Perhaps he had let his apprentice talk a bit much, almost rudely to a medicine cat. But it didn't bother him as much as it once would have. He knew she didn't mean ill by it. She just didn't find interest in the other Clans.

"I'll work to correct her," Lakefrost meowed. "What else are mentors for?"

He spoke, but his eyes were caught by movement in the ThunderClan territory. A silver shape moved beyond the tree line. His eyes darted up instantly, centering on the silver tom with the wide white face. Fawnfur could sense his tension and looked over her shoulder.

"Owlface," she greeted.

The ThunderClan warrior nodded. He looked over at Lakefrost and they shared a glance. Lakefrost tried not to narrow his eyes or hiss at him. He really didn't like this tom. He was certain he would be chased away. Usually when they met, there was some threat and claws. That didn't happen. They didn't even speak. Owlface came closer and stood behind Fawnfur.

"Cinderheart wants you," he meowed.

"All right," Fawnfur nodded. Lakefrost supposed Cinderheart had planned meeting Fawnfur at a certain place that morning.

"I'll tell her that you are on your way," he meowed. He turned away without another word.

"At least he isn't bothering you now," Lakefrost whispered, remembering Fawnfur's reaction to the older warrior.

"At least," she meowed back. "His attention stopped after the battle. He's not interested in me, or if he is, he doesn't show it. He either respects me now or is ashamed of what he's done. He's tried to be extra polite lately. I better go now." She stood up. She didn't look like she really wanted to leave, but she turned away. She once glanced over her shoulder at him and smiled.

"Good luck," Lakefrost yelled after her.

She waved her tail and disappeared into the undergrowth. He wasn't sure when he'd see her again.

He sat in place for a while more. A bird flew by overhead and he looked up. It had been so long since they'd been together and real friends banded together against a common enemy. Things were different. Things were. . . normal. He almost missed the excitement. He certainly missed his sister and hoped she was well in StarClan.

He blinked at the clouds floating by and turned away. The Clan came first. He walked away into his territory, thoughts on Ravenkit and the two squirrels he'd caught that morning.

* * *

**THE END**

**A year has gone by and so the trilogy finally reaches its conclusion. Thanks to all those who've reviewed and read and will continue to review in the future. You recieve a cookie plushie with Eveningbreeze's face on it. Or else it can be Sunstorm, or Lakefrost. Your choice!**

**Sorry if the ending was lame and anticlimatic. It just covers stuff that happened after the battle. Although Honeybee's could be a start to another story. But I won't be doing it. Just think, Clans in the Dark Forest, fighting each other and marking territory! For safety and to see which Clan is more powerful. Join or be prey!**

**Questions are answered, others remain. **

**Badgerface will stay a warrior and now knows another non-verbal language his family can talk to him with. Mallowstalk finds love and a family and learns to overcome her fear of rejection by other cats.**

**Lakefrost and Fawnfur have grown apart, realizing they don't know anything about each other and are better in their own Clans. She lives a long life, and uses her power sparingly.**

**Sunstorm and Redfur live together in the stars. Eventually they go on other adventures in the Unknown Territory. She is determined to find Forest and Hawthorn and see how the two are.**

**What will Honeybee and the other lost StarClan warriors do? Will they survive and can they really trust Fernstripe? Do they ever get back to StarClan? ****Well, you'll just have to figure that out for yourself.**

**On to finish Retaking Summerheat Camp!**


End file.
